Paducah, KY - Aug. 31, 2015 - Heart attack treatment at Baptist Health Paducah was recently recognized among the nation's best by the American College of Cardiology for the third year.

Baptist Health is one of only 391 hospitals nationwide to receive the NCDR® (National Cardiovascular Data Registry) ACTION Registry®-Get With the GuidelinesTM Platinum Performance Achievement Award. The award recognizes the hospital's commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients as outlined by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association clinical guidelines and recommendations.

To receive the award, the hospital followed treatment guidelines for eight consecutive quarters and met a performance standard of 90 percent for the treatment of heart attack patients.

For people suffering heart attacks, it means that Baptist Health Paducah has a proven track record of prompt and appropriate treatment to save lives, said William A. Brown, president of Baptist Health Paducah. "This honor reflects the hard work and dedication of the staff who care for some of our most seriously ill patients and their families," Brown said "The implementation of these guidelines requires successful coordination of the cardiovascular team and emergency personnel and is a critical step in saving the lives and improving outcomes of heart attack patients."

Heart care at Baptist Health Paducah received previous Get with the Guidelines recognitions in 2013 and 2012 for ensuring cardiac arrest patients get timely CPR, defibrillation or other appropriate treatment within minutes.