Baptist Heart & Vascular Institute Earns Prestigious Recognition for Heart Program Quality Measures

PENSACOLA, Fla. (July 29, 2019) –  Baptist Heart & Vascular Institute (BHVI) has earned prestigious four-star ratings on quality measures for urgent heart attack care, angioplasty and implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) procedures performed at Baptist and Gulf Breeze hospitals.

Baptist Hospital’s four-star performance in CathPCI registry measures is the highest achievement possible. CathPCI registry measures include steps taken to lower cholesterol levels and reduce the chance of blood clots after angioplasty. Angioplasty is the insertion of a small “balloon” through a heart vessel to clear a blockage.

Baptist and Gulf Breeze hospitals both earned a four-star rating on quality measures related to the number of patients who were prescribed all discharge medications for which they were eligible after receiving an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD.) ICDs are surgically implanted near the collarbone to monitor and correct abnormal heart rhythms by delivering electrical pulses.

“These achievements reflect the dedication of our heart team and their tireless efforts to provide the most effective, safe care possible,” said Safwan Jaalouk, M.D., FACC, FSCAI. “Patients can be confident that their follow-up care after heart attack, angioplasty and ICD procedures adheres to national guidelines that have been proven to provide the best outcomes.”

These quality rankings are the result of BHVI’s participation in the American College of Cardiology’s public reporting program that gives patients the information they need to make informed decisions about where to seek care for heart health. Baptist scored higher than the Florida state average on all measures. More information is available at www.ebaptisthealthcare.org.