64 minutes
Median length of time that heart attack patients waited after arriving at the hospital to receive emergency angioplasty in 2010, down from 96 minutes in 2005. According to Medicare and Medicaid data, 91% of heart attack patients needing emergency angioplasty to open a blocked artery received the treatment within the recommended 90-minute "door-to-balloon" window in 2010. In 2005, only 44% did. What changed? The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services began reporting publicly the percentage of patients who were treated within the recommended window, and national efforts were launched to speed up treatment. [via WebMD]
