FORT WORTH, Texas — Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval^® and the American Heart Association’s Heart-Check mark for Acute Heart Attack Ready Certification. This is the first time the hospital has received this recognition.

“It’s an honor to be acknowledged for a high standard of cardiac care in Tarrant County,” said Clint Abernathy, president of Texas Health Alliance. “With heart disease on the rise, Texas Health is committed to providing quality care and positive outcomes for heart attack patients.”

Texas Health Alliance underwent a rigorous, unannounced on-site review in February. During the visit, a team of Joint Commission reviewers made observations and conducted interviews.

Key characteristics of the Acute Heart Attack Ready (AHAR) Program include:

• Focus on symptom onset and first medical contact, emergency medical services, the emergency department, as well as catheterization laboratories (if applicable) and inpatient settings.
• Recommended for organizations without on-site primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) coverage 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Heart disease is still the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Every year, about 805,000 people in the U.S.have a heart attack, which is why Texas Health Resources is committed to meeting the needs of North Texans where they live. Texas Health facilities in Arlington, Fort Worth, Southwest Fort Worth and Plano have earned recognition from The Joint Commission and been certified as Primary Heart Attack Centers.

Last year, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas became the first facility in Texas to earn The Joint Commission’s Comprehensive Heart Attack Center Certification.

“Immediate treatment for a heart attack is critical, and that’s why we deliver customized, comprehensive care and treat a wide range of cardiovascular conditions,” Abernathy said.

The certification will help standardize and improve coordinated systems of care across settings regarding identification, assessment, monitoring, management, data sharing and performance improvement for multidisciplinary STEMI, or ST-elevation myocardial infarction, heart attack care.

“We commend Texas Health for using the certification to reduce variation in its clinical processes and to strengthen its program structure and management framework for cardiac patients,” said Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association.

For more information, please visit The Joint Commission website.