• Specifications manual for national hospital inpatient quality measures, version 2.5b. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), The Joint Commission; 2008 Oct. various p.

Does not apply to this measure

This measure is used to assess the percent of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients receiving fibrinolytic therapy during the hospital stay and having a time from hospital arrival to fibrinolysis of 30 minutes or less.

Time to fibrinolytic therapy is a strong predictor of outcome in patients with an acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Nearly 2 lives per 1000 patients are lost per hour of delay. National guidelines recommend that fibrinolytic therapy be given within 30 minutes of hospital arrival in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Despite these recommendations, few eligible older patients hospitalized with AMI receive timely fibrinolytic therapy.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI); ST-segment elevation; left bundle branch block (LBBB); fibrinolytic therapy

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients with ST-segment elevation or left bundle branch block (LBBB) on electrocardiogram (ECG) performed closest to hospital arrival who received fibrinolytic therapy within 6 hours after hospital arrival and the fibrinolytic therapy is primary reperfusion therapy (see the related "Denominator Inclusions/Exclusions" field in the Complete Summary)

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients whose time from hospital arrival to fibrinolysis is 30 minutes or less

Administrative data
Medical record

AMI-7a: fibrinolytic therapy received within 30 minutes of hospital arrival.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Joint Commission, The

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services/The Joint Commission

All external funding for measure development has been received and used in full compliance with The Joint Commission's Corporate Sponsorship policies, which are available upon written request to The Joint Commission.

Expert panel members have made full disclosure of relevant financial and conflict of interest information in accordance with the Joint Commission's Conflict of Interest policies, copies of which are available upon written request to The Joint Commission.

National Quality Forum

Hospital Compare
Hospital Quality Alliance

Measure was not adapted from another source.

2000 Aug

2008 Oct

This is the current release of the measure.

This measure updates a previous version: Specifications manual for national hospital quality measures, version 2.3b. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), The Joint Commission; 2007 Oct. various p.

• Specifications manual for national hospital inpatient quality measures, version 2.5b. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), The Joint Commission; 2008 Oct. various p.

This NQMC summary was completed by ECRI on January 6, 2003. The information was verified by the measure developer on January 29, 2003. This NQMC summary was updated by ECRI on October 6, 2005 and on April 16, 2007. The information was verified by the measure developer on July 24, 2007. This NQMC summary was updated again by ECRI Institute on October 26, 2007. The Joint Commission informed NQMC that this measure was updated on August 13, 2008 and provided an updated version of the NQMC summary. This NQMC summary was updated accordingly by ECRI Institute on November 11, 2008. The information was verified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Janaury 22, 2009.

The Specifications Manual for National Hospital Inpatient Quality Measures [Version 2.5b, October, 2008] is the collaborative work of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and The Joint Commission. The Specifications Manual is periodically updated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and The Joint Commission. Users of the Specifications Manual for National Hospital Inpatient Quality Measures should periodically verify that the most up-to-date version is being utilized.