Saint Alphonsus named among nation’s top performing hospitals

BOISE, ID – Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise and Saint Alphonsus Medical Center in Nampa have received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain – MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2023.  This is the Nampa hospital’s first time receiving the award, while Boise is a repeat recipient.  They are the only hospitals in Idaho, and among only 262 nationwide, to receive this honor.

The award recognizes Saint Alphonsus’ commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients and signifies that both hospitals have 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.

“Our heart care team is extremely collaborative and driven by a single goal to provide the best care available anywhere in the country,” said Joe Walsh, interventional cardiologist and cardiology medical director for Boise and Nampa.  “Minutes matter when someone is having a heart attack, and this recognition from the American College of Cardiology affirms that we have the people, equipment and skills to provide the best care for these patients.”

Saint Alphonsus demonstrated sustained achievement in the Chest Pain  ̶  MI (myocardial infarction, or heart attack) Registry for two consecutive years (2021 and 2022), 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.

“The Platinum Performance Achievement Award is a great acknowledgment of the care and outcomes that Saint Alphonsus Nampa has in place. This means that we have we have proven processes in place that provide high quality outcomes for patients having a heart attack,” President of Saint Alphonsus Medical Center Nampa, Clint Child, said.

“We have made a commitment to the communities we serve to provide the highest level of care for heart attack patients,” President of Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center David McFadyen said. “This recognition validates that our cardiac care teams are among the best in the country.”

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that over 800,000 Americans suffer a heart attack each year, while the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare identifies heart disease as the number one cause of death in the state.

“It is an honor to award Saint Alphonsus with the Platinum Performance Award for their valuable national leadership and dedication to meeting comprehensive performance measures in patient care,” said Michael C. Kontos, chair of the NCDR Chest Pain – MI Registry Steering Subcommittee, and cardiologist at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. “The receipt of this award indicates that both hospitals are committed to providing top quality, guideline-driven care for heart attack patients. Their success ensures patients are receiving the highest quality cardiovascular care.”

Both facilities are accredited chest pain centers by the American College of Cardiology and hold level 1 STEMI designation by the state of Idaho. They are part of the Saint Alphonsus Heart Institute, providing the most comprehensive heart program in Southwestern Idaho and Eastern Oregon.  Saint Alphonsus cardiologists offer care close to home for patients in Boise, Caldwell, Cascade, Eagle, Emmett, Hailey, Meridian, Nampa and Weiser in Idaho, and Baker City and Ontario in Oregon.