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"The specific goals of this (AMI Focus Area) are to explore ways to improve care
of AMI patients at two key points in the care process: from entry to discharge
from the hospital," says Dr. Leslie McCombs of Premier’s Clinical Performance
Initiatives unit, project director for the AMI Collaborative and Cardiovascular
Services.
Best evidence-based practices, says McCombs, show that timely reperfusion, via
thrombolytics (door to needle time in less than 30 minutes) improves the quality
of patient care. Percutaneous coronary intervention (door to balloon inflation
time in less than 90 minutes) also improves the quality of patient care. Best
evidenced-based practices also show that when eligible, all AMI patients should be
discharged on aspirin, a "statin," and a beta-blocker. "Our aim is for all Premier
hospitals to strive for these goals," says McCombs.
Another goal for hospitals participating in the AMI Focus Area is to get 80
percent of all AMI patients who smoke counseling to help stop this deadly
activity. Nationally, only 30 percent of such patients receive anti-smoking
counseling, according to McCombs.
The yearlong collaborative process will require hospitals to submit data for
analysis, two more face-to-face meetings with members of the Clinical Performance
Initiatives team and conference calls. In addition, the Clinical Performance
Initiatives team will make site visits to top-performing Premier hospitals to
learn how they will go about achieving the goals.
The AMI Collaborative ends in the spring of 2002. For more information, contact
McCombs at leslie_mccombs@premierinc.com or call 704.733.5209.
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