Heart attack patients treated at NAH are less likely to be readmitted

Compared against 808 facilities, Northern Arizona Healthcare’s Flagstaff Medical Center and Verde Valley Medical Center rank in the top 20th percentile for readmissions following an acute myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack, which means less than 10 percent of patients being treated for a heart attack at NAH are readmitted within 30 days. The average rate for readmissions in the U.S. is 10 percent and both FMC and VVMC fall well below that number.

Due to excellent care, patients treated for a heart attack are able to return home and to their lives without having to return to the hospital because of complications.

“FMC and VVMC are high-quality centers with excellent results with regard to treating heart attacks,” said Samuel Butman, MD, interventional cardiologist with NAH’s Heart & Vascular Center of Northern Arizona.

“Low readmission rates speaks to the comprehensive cardiovascular program through NAH,” said Kent Winkler, MD, interventional cardiologist with Mountain Heart. “Patients are not only getting state-of-the-art care while in the hospital, they are receiving quality care after they’ve been discharged by having a care team who looks at the patient’s risk factors and minimizes reoccurring events after treatment.”