Lexington Medical Center has received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain – MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2021. This award recognizes commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients as outlined by the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association’s clinical guidelines and recommendations. Only 212 hospitals in the United States received the honor this year and Lexington Medical Center is the first hospital in the Midlands to receive the award.

“Our heart attack team is composed of multidisciplinary members across our health system who care for patients experiencing a heart attack from the initial 911 call to their recovery in cardiac rehabilitation,” said Robert M. Malanuk, MD, FACC, medical director of Lexington Medical Heart and Vascular Center. “We are very proud to be nationally recognized for our work in helping patients have their best chance for recovery by applying and meeting the core standards of care for heart attack patients. This achievement is proof that our efforts have been successful and improve the lives of our patients and their outcomes.” 

To receive the award, hospitals must demonstrate sustained achievement for two consecutive years and perform at the highest level for specific performance measures. That includes a robust quality improvement process using data to adhere to guideline recommendations and overall quality of care provided to heart attack patients. The process allows health care providers to 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.

“As a Platinum Performance Award recipient, Lexington Medical Center has established itself as a leader in setting the national standard for improving quality of care in patients with acute myocardial infarction,” said Michael C. Kontos, MD, FACC, chair of the NCDR Chest Pain – MI Registry Steering Subcommittee, and cardiologist at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. “By meeting the award requirements set forth in the registry, Lexington Medical Center has demonstrated a commitment to providing reliable, comprehensive treatment for heart attack patients based on current clinical guideline recommendations.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that almost 700,000 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.

For more information on the American College of Cardiology, visit acc.org.


Robert M. Malanuk, MD, FACC, Lexington Medical Heart and Vascular Center