Pompton Plains VHA Inc., a national health care alliance based in Irving, Texas, has recognized Chilton Memorial Hospital for excellence in cardiac care. Chilton Memorial Hospital is one of 86 member hospitals nationwide to receive its Leadership Award for excellence in cardiac care. The award was recently presented to Chilton Memorial Hospital at a conference in St. Louis, Mo. “This award validates the dedicated focus of our clinical staff and physicians to improve the care provided to our cardiac patients,” said, Deborah Zastocki, President and CEO. “By incorporating evidence-based measures into a cardiac patient’s plan of care, we are able to monitor and measure the overall rate of improvement in outcomes. “In addition, we expect to realize a financial benefit from our focus on quality-based performance. Clinicians are encouraged to enhance productivity and reduce costs associated with delivering care, which in turn enables us to reinvest resources into our patient care services.” The VHA Leadership Award for clinical excellence in cardiac care is based on the latest set of measures that has been nationally accepted as indicators of quality. Chilton Memorial Hospital achieved at least a 90 percent compliance with all rate-based indicators to qualify for the award. The median time for delivery of thrombolytic agents was equal to or less than 30 minutes. And, the median time until percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty was administered to the patient was equal to or less than 120 minutes.