Published on January 17, 2011

Maryland Grants Shady Grove Adventist Approval to Continue Performing Emergency Heart Procedure

Shady Grove’s Quality Outcomes for Heart Attack Patients Are among Best in State

Rockville, MD – The Maryland Health Care Commission has extended Shady Grove Adventist Hospital’s waiver to continue performing a life-saving emergency procedure for heart attack patients.The procedure, called percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), includes the insertion of a balloon-type device into a patient’s arteries to alleviate a blockage. PCIs have been performed at Shady Grove since 1996 and will now continue for at least another year due to the hospital’s exceptional outcomes and quality care for heart attack patients.

“Participation in this program allows us to deliver life-saving care for heart attack patients at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital,” said Shady Grove Adventist President Dennis Hansen. “We thank the Maryland Health Care Commission for recognizing the consistent, quality care our cardiac team delivers to patients by approving our request to extend our program waiver.”

In Maryland, hospitals may only perform primary and non-primary (elective) PCI for emergency patients under two conditions – they must have cardiac surgery onsite or must receive a waiver from the MHCC. Hospitals without onsite cardiac surgery, including Shady Grove, may receive a one- or two-year waiver, based on performance.

When a patient is suffering from a heart attack, minutes can make a difference between life and death. One important quality measurement for heart attack treatments, including PCI, is door-to-balloon (DTB) time, which measures the amount of time between when a patient arrives in an Emergency Department and when the first device is used. The MHCC requires a DTB time of 90 minutes or less for at least 75% of primary PCI patients. From January 1 – November 30, 2010, Shady Grove had a median DTB time of 69 minutes for 84% of its patients.

“The goal of our cardiac team is to quickly and efficiently deliver quality care to each heart attack patient that comes to our hospital,” said Dr. Dennis Friedman, Medical Director of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Research at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. “Our outcomes and quality measurements demonstrate our commitment to meeting that goal. This waiver will allow us to continue providing an important procedure for our community.”

Shady Grove Adventist Hospital is a not-for-profit, acute care facility in Rockville, Maryland, with 336 licensed beds. Shady Grove is committed to delivering excellent health care through a ministry of physical, mental and spiritual healing. The hospital offers a broad range of health services and is recognized for excellence in emergency care; high-risk obstetrical and neonatal care; cardiac and vascular interventional care; oncology care; several surgical specialties; and a number of specialized services for children. The Shady Grove Adventist Emergency Center in Germantown provides emergency medical care to more than 35,000 residents each year. Shady Grove Adventist Hospital is part of Maryland-based Adventist HealthCare, an integrated health care delivery system that is one of the largest employers in the state of Maryland.