Northwestern Memorial Hospital Second in the Nation for Heart Attack Survival

Strong continuum of care and advanced specialty services support high survivorship rates

CHICAGO, Jan. 21, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Northwestern Memorial Hospital surpasses the national average for heart attack survival for patients 65 years and older, according to quality data recently compiled by Becker's Hospital Review. The recently released report ranks Northwestern second in the nation for its heart attack survival rate for older patients. 

"By this measure, for heart attack patients, our survival rate is among the best in the country," said James Flaherty, MD, medical director of the coronary care unit at Northwestern's Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute. "It's a reflection of excellent care and a wide availability of specialty services, starting in our emergency department through our advanced support services for very sick heart patients."

In the recent data analysis by Becker's Hospital Review, Northwestern had a mortality rate of 10.4 percent over a 30-day period. That means nearly 90 percent of those 65 and older having a heart attack when they arrive at the hospital are alive one month later.

The national mortality average is 15.2 percent, according to Becker's analysis of data from Hospital Compare, the official U.S. data sets for Medicare patients. The comparison was done over a three-year period.

Northwestern Medicine's Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute is a national leader in heart care, advancing research in cardiovascular care and providing a wide variety of sophisticated interventions tailored to each patient. Bluhm also focuses on supporting patients making needed lifestyle changes to lower risk of heart disease.

Flaherty, also an associate professor of medicine-cardiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, cited Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute's commitment to a "strong continuation of care" that extends to a series of outpatient visits within the first 30 days of a heart attack.

"It's really a culture of care approach that includes a lot of things, from the moment you enter the emergency department to follow-up visits after you leave the hospital," he said. "We stay on top of any issues in an attempt to improve your health at all times."

Care for many heart attack patients begins in the hospital's emergency department, which coordinates closely with the doctors and staff at the Bluhm institute.

"We are constantly working toward the fastest, most complete treatment for patients who arrive with any potential cardiac condition, and this analysis shows that our emphasis on teamwork is working," said James Adams, MD, chair of the department of emergency medicine and chief medical officer for Northwestern Memorial HealthCare.

Northwestern Medicine's Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute was ranked the 12^th cardiology and heart surgery program in the United States and first in Chicago, Illinois and the Midwest by the 2013-14 U.S. News & World Report "Best Hospitals" report.

For more information about heart care at Northwestern Memorial, visit www.heart.nmh.org. To schedule an appointment please call (312) NM-HEART. You also can visit Bluhm on Facebook.

About Northwestern Medicine^®
Northwestern Medicine^® is the collaboration between Northwestern Memorial HealthCare and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine around a strategic vision to transform the future of healthcare.  It encompasses the research, teaching and patient care activities of the academic medical center. Sharing a commitment to superior quality, academic excellence and patient safety, the organizations within Northwestern Medicine comprise more than 9,000 clinical and administrative staff, 3,100 medical and science faculty and 700 students. The entities involved in Northwestern Medicine remain separate organizations. Northwestern Medicine is a trademark of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare and is used by Northwestern University.

About Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Northwestern Memorial is one of the country's premier academic medical center hospitals and is the primary teaching hospital of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Along with its Prentice Women's Hospital and Stone Institute of Psychiatry, the hospital has 1,705 affiliated physicians and 6,769 employees.  Northwestern Memorial is recognized for providing exemplary patient care and state-of-the art advancements in the areas of cardiovascular care; women's health; oncology; neurology and neurosurgery; solid organ and soft tissue transplants and orthopaedics.

Northwestern Memorial has nursing Magnet Status, the nation's highest recognition for patient care and nursing excellence. Northwestern Memorial ranks 6^th in the nation in the U.S. News & World Report 2013-14 Honor Roll of America's Best Hospitals. The hospital is recognized in 14 of 16 clinical specialties rated by U.S. News and is No. 1 in Illinois and Chicago in U.S. News' 2013-14 state and metro rankings, respectively. For 14 years running, Northwestern Memorial has been rated among the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" guide by Working Mother magazine. The hospital is a recipient of the prestigious National Quality Health Care Award and has been chosen by Chicagoans as the Consumer Choice according to the National Research Corporation's annual survey for 15 consecutive years. 

SOURCE Northwestern Memorial Hospital