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Prairie Lakes Earns National Award for Heart Attack Care for Second Consecutive Year
American College of Cardiology NCDR Chest Pain ? MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award recognizes sustained, high-level performance in quality of care

WATERTOWN, S.D. – July 12, 2024 – Prairie Lakes Healthcare System has received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain ? MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for the second consecutive year in a row. Prairie Lakes is one of only 259 hospitals nationwide to receive the honor.

The award recognizes Prairie Lakes Healthcare System's commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients and signifies that Prairie Lakes has reached an aggressive goal of treating these patients to standard levels of care as outlined by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association clinical guidelines and recommendations.

"This achievement is possible only because of the shared camaraderie and spirit within our organization," said Dr. Ravi Kalaga, Interventional Cardiologist at Prairie Lakes Healthcare System. "It also reflects the compassionate and high-quality care our teams are dedicated to delivering consistently to our patients."

To receive the Chest Pain ? MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award, Prairie Lakes has demonstrated sustained achievement in the Chest Pain ? MI Registry for two consecutive years (2022 and 2023) and performed at the highest level for specific performance measures. Full participation in the registry engages hospitals in a robust quality improvement process using data to drive improvements in adherence to guideline recommendations and overall quality of care provided to heart attack patients.

"Earning this national award again is a remarkable achievement for Prairie Lakes," said John Allen, Chief Executive Officer of Prairie Lakes Healthcare System. "It highlights the exceptional care and successful teamwork by our Cardiac Cath Lab, Emergency Department, Cardiology Clinic, and Rehabilitation teams that withhold these high standards of care."

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that over 800,000 Americans suffer a heart attack each year. A heart attack occurs when a blood clot in a coronary artery partially or completely blocks blood flow to the heart muscle. Treatment guidelines include administering aspirin upon arrival and discharge, timely restoration of blood flow to the blocked artery, smoking cessation counseling and cardiac rehabilitation, among others.

Chest Pain ? MI Registry empowers health care provider teams to consistently treat heart attack patients according to the most current, science-based guidelines and establishes a national standard for understanding and improving the quality, safety and outcomes of care provided for patients with coronary artery disease, specifically high-risk heart attack patients.

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) is the global leader in transforming cardiovascular care and improving heart health for all. As the preeminent source of professional medical education for the entire cardiovascular care team since 1949, ACC credentials cardiovascular professionals in over 140 countries who meet stringent qualifications and leads in the formation of health policy, standards, and guidelines. Through its world-renowned family of JACC Journals, NCDR registries, ACC Accreditation Services, global network of Member Sections, CardioSmart patient resources and more, the College is committed to ensuring a world where science, knowledge and innovation optimize patient care and outcomes. For more, visit acc.org.