12 Sentara hospitals earn national recognition for excellence in heart attack care

All 12 Sentara hospitals have earned the American College of Cardiology's NCDR Chest Pain - MI Registry Performance Achievement Award for 2026. This recognition is reserved for hospitals that meet aggressive national benchmarks in heart attack care and demonstrate a sustained commitment to treating patients at the highest standard.

Additionally, 11 Sentara hospitals received the program’s platinum award – the highest achievement, bestowed upon a small fraction of hospitals nationwide, an estimated 350. Platinum status indicates the hospital consistently delivers top-tier, guideline driven cardiovascular care, meets or exceeds strict performance measures, and sustains that high performance for at least two consecutive years.

Sentara Halifax Regional Hospital achieved silver status for maintaining the same standard of care for at least one full year.

The Sentara hospitals that received this recognition include:

Sentara cardiology specialists provide care to thousands of heart attack patients each year and have extensive expertise in treating heart attacks and minimizing complications. In addition to emergency interventions, Sentara offers comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation services that include healthy eating education, stress management, tobacco cessation, and pulmonary rehab services personalized to every patient's needs and goals.

Through full participation in the American College of Cardiology program, hospitals engage in a robust quality improvement process, using data to drive advancements and positively impact outcomes for heart attack patients. The Chest Pain - MI Registry® Performance Achievement Award specifically recognizes hospitals participating in the registry who have demonstrated sustained, top-level performance in quality of care and adherence to guideline recommendations.

“This recognition reflects the dedication of every physician, nurse, and team member across Sentara,” said Deepak Talreja, M.D., Sentara’s clinical chief of cardiology. “Eleven Platinum awards and one Silver isn't luck — it's the result of a system-wide commitment to getting heart attack care right, every time, for every patient. I'm incredibly proud that families across Hampton Roads and beyond can count on care that meets the same rigorous standard as the nation's top cardiovascular programs.”

Since 2013, Sentara hospitals have earned American College of Cardiology's NCDR Chest Pain - MI Registry Performance Achievement Awards, demonstrating more than a decade of sustained excellence in heart attack care. The continued achievement highlights a system-wide culture of quality, collaboration, and unwavering dedication to providing exceptional cardiovascular care year after year.

Behind many of these achievements is a dedicated team of cardiovascular registry professionals who conduct detailed clinical chart reviews, ensure data accuracy, support regulatory and accreditation requirements, and partner with care teams to drive continuous quality improvement. Their expertise helps translate patient outcomes into actionable insights that advance cardiovascular care across our organization.

"It is a tremendous accomplishment to again be recognized as leaders in the care of patients with acute MI,” said Paul Lavigne, M.D., Sentara’s enterprise interventional medical director. “This award is truly a reflection of the exceptionally talented and dedicated clinical and administrative teams throughout our system who make this level of care possible every day."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 800,000 people have a heart attack each year in the United States – meaning someone suffers a heart attack every 40 seconds, on average.

For patients across Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, these awards signal something important: every Sentara hospital delivers exceptional cardiovascular care. Whether they arrive at a Sentara hospital in a major city or a small community, they can count on heart attack care that meets the highest national standards — every time.