The award recognizes Erlanger’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients and signifies it 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 reflects the dedication of our entire cardiac care team, from the moment a patient arrives in our emergency department through their treatment and recovery.

Meeting these rigorous national benchmarks means our heart attack patients are getting fast, evidence-based care. I'm incredibly proud of what this team has built here at Erlanger," said Dr. Harish Manyam, Erlanger Chief of Cardiology.

To receive the Chest Pain  ?  MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award, Erlanger sustained achievement in the Chest Pain  - MI Registry for two consecutive years (2024 and 2025) 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.

“This recognition highlights our commitment to serving our community. Erlanger will continue investing in the people, and technology that make this level of care possible, because every second matters when a patient's heart is at risk," said Jim Coleman, Erlanger president and CEO.

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.