CUMMING -- Northside Hospital-Forsyth was recently recognized for its heart attack care by The Joint Commission.

The Disease Specific Certification for Acute Myocardial Infraction, the medical term for a heart attack, is a “symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient care. Northside Hospital-Forsyth received its two-year certification after undergoing a voluntary and rigorous on-site evaluation, demonstrating compliance with nationally developed standards for heart attack care.”

“Time is critical in heart attack care,” said Aman Kakkar, medical director of the Cardiac Cath Lab at the hospital off Ga. 400’s Exit 14 in Cumming. “From the moment 911 is called to when first responders arrive, how long it takes to get to the hospital and how long before treatment is administered, every minute matters.”

Heart attack care is not for the rare occurrence of a disease. About 750,000 people in the U.S. have a heart attack each year, according to the American Heart Association.

Northside’s treatments, support services and diagnostic care for heart and vascular patients include percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for segment elevation myocardial infraction (STEMI).

“As a STEMI-receiving hospital, Northside Hospital-Forsyth has the expertise, equipment, facilities and other resources to perform PCI and help patients get the right care they need as quickly as possible,” said Amy Browning, manager of cardiology at the hospital.

The cardiology team and emergency department staff work with Forsyth County and Central EMS and have some of the fastest transfer times of the 19 hospitals in metro Atlanta, ahead of the region’s average of 76 minutes.

Northside also has the lowest 30-day readmission rate from heart attacks of any hospital in Georgia — out of 134 that reported — and ranked 31st in the nation, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The Cumming branch of the regional healthcare system also was the first hospital in metro Atlanta to receive Advanced Certification in Heart Failure from The Joint Commission and has been recertified as an Advanced Primary Stroke Center.

Earlier this year, the hospital was recognized for providing high-quality cardiovascular care and received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR ACTION Registry-GWTG Gold Performance Achievement Award.