April 26, 2012 - The timing of treatment when someone is having a heart attack can mean the difference between life and death. To help save lives, the American Heart Association (AHA) and the Society of Chest Pain Centers joined forces in September 2011 to improve the care of patients suffering from the most deadly type of heart attack, known as an ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline Heart Attack Referring/Receiving Center Accreditation program recognizes hospitals for their ability to quickly and appropriately treat heart attack patients.
In an effort to improve the processes surrounding the care of the STEMI heart attack patient, the American Heart Association launched Mission: Lifeline in 2007. Mission: Lifeline provides tools and resources to hospitals and EMS agencies with the goal of making systems of care more efficient to help improve the overall quality-of-care received by each STEMI patient. Mission: Lifeline systems start with the 9-1-1 call or at entry into the emergency system, continues through the catheterization laboratory and through hospital discharge by promoting best practices that are identified using the very latest scientific evidence-based treatment for STEMI. Through this new program, accreditation is granted to hospitals that meet the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline defined standards for prompt diagnosis and treatment of a STEMI heart attack.
“Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, claiming more than 616,000 lives each year.” said Gordon Tomaselli, M.D., president of the American Heart Association. “By taking steps to significantly reduce cardiac death in patients through education of early heart attack symptoms, reducing time for life-saving treatment and increasing the accuracy and effectiveness of treatment administered, the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline Heart Attack Referring/Receiving Accreditation program will help save lives in hospitals across the country.”
Since the program’s inception, 10 hospitals located in various parts of the country, including Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and Virginia, have been recognized with this accreditation.
The facilities have been recognized for meeting the standards of quality care by using the very latest scientific evidence-based treatment for heart attack patients. All centers that have received accreditation will now be able to proudly display the new American Heart Association Mission: Lifeline Heart Attack Referring/Receiving Center Heart-Check mark that will help patients easily identify the facility as one of quality and trust.
For more information: www.heart.org/myhospital orwww.scpcp.org
November 14, 2025 
