UNC Health Johnston recognized for heart attack treatment

Submitted by UNC HEALTH JOHNSTON

SMITHFIELD — UNC Health Johnston recently announced it is five-star rated for treatment of heart attack according to new research released by Healthgrades, the leading marketplace connecting doctors and patients.

This five-star rating reflects UNC Health Johnston’s dedication to delivering better-than-expected clinical outcomes for treatment of heart attack and distinguishes the organization as one of the nation’s leading hospitals for specialty care. UNC Health Johnston has received a Five-Star Distinction for Treatment of Heart Attack for three years in a row.

“Our success is due to the tremendous teamwork inside and outside our hospital,” UNC Health Johnston CEO Tom Williams said. “Everyone plays a vital role, from our EMS partners in the community, to our emergency departments and nursing staff, to the heart catheterization lab and chest pain accreditation teams. We also have great support from our lab and cardiology departments, all of whom collaborate to provide excellent care to our patients.”

Healthgrades evaluated patient mortality and complication rates for 31 common conditions and procedures at nearly 4,500 hospitals nationwide to identify the topperforming hospitals for treatment of heart attack. This year’s analysis revealed significant variation in patient outcomes between fivestar hospitals and one-star hospitals. From 2019 through 2021, if all hospitals as a group performed similarly to five-star hospitals, on average, 201,586 lives could potentially have been saved, and 160,498 patients could have avoided potential complications, according to Healthgrades data analysis.

Additionally, from 2019-2021, the Healthgrades data analysis showed patients treated for heart attack in hospitals with five stars for 30-day mortality have, on average, a 45.5 percent lower risk of dying than if they were treated in hospitals with one-star for 30-day mortality.

“We commend UNC Health Johnston for its ongoing commitment to providing high-quality care to patients being treated for heart attack,” said Dr. Brad Bowman, chief medical officer and head of data science at Healthgrades. “Consumers can feel confident that hospitals with five-star rating by Healthgrades have demonstrated their ability to deliver consistently exceptional outcomes.”

Consumers can visit Healthgrades.com to learn more about how Healthgrades measures hospital quality.