TecSalud receives two international awards in cardiology

TecSalud has strengthened its position as a leader in cardiovascular care by receiving two international awards from the American Heart Association (AHA), one of the world’s leading heart health organizations.

Zambrano Hellion Hospital has received a Get With The Guidelines Gold Award for the quality of its care in acute coronary syndrome, as well as a Gold Plus Award for the treatment of heart failure.

According to Dr. Erasmo de la Peña, Director of the Institute of Cardiology and Vascular Medicine, these achievements are the result of the systematic application of standardized clinical processes.

“Today, we operate as a unified system, with a shared vision and common goals focused on the quality of clinical outcomes”, he said.

International assessment of the quality of care  

Julia Mora, AHA Senior Science and Health Advisor, said that Get With The Guidelines is a database that tracks patient care from admission to discharge.

“Essentially, it’s a set of guidelines established by the AHA to evaluate the quality of healthcare. Participating hospitals collect their data and must meet each of the indicators with a rate of over 85%”, she said.

This approach measures the effectiveness of implementing international guidelines and aims to improve outcomes for patients with cardiovascular disease or who have suffered a stroke.

TecSalud exceeded the minimum percentage set by the AHA for the quality indicators required to qualify for these awards.

In the event of a heart attack, every minute counts

When a patient arrives at the hospital with a heart attack, they must receive immediate care, as this is a condition in which a coronary artery becomes blocked and can be life-threatening.

“As soon as a patient arrives in the emergency room, we activate the immediate response protocol for heart attacks, which we call Code SICA,” said TecSalud program director Dr. Alexis Barrera.

The protocol ensures standardized care: an electrocardiogram is performed within the first 10 minutes, and the patient is then transferred to the catheterization lab to have the artery unblocked within 90 minutes.

“These measures are designed to provide timely and effective care, reduce risks, and improve the patient’s chances of recovery from the very start of treatment,” said Dr. Barrera.

"Acting quickly not only improves patient survival but can also lead to such a full recovery that the patient leaves the hospital as if they had never had a heart attack", – Dr. Alexis Barrera

Continuous improvement in heart failure

In 2025, TecSalud was awarded the Get With The Guidelines Silver Plus award for the treatment of heart failure; today, it has received the same recognition at a higher level, in the Gold Plus category.

“This confirms that every year we are improving the care we provide to patients with this disease”, said Dr. Erasmo de la Peña.

He explained that this award recognizes a comprehensive, ongoing approach to treating the disease to improve patients’ survival rates and quality of life.

“Achieving Gold Plus status means that we not only meet the AHA guidelines, but we go above and beyond what is required”, he said.

As part of this strategy, TecSalud has strengthened a specialized care model that includes the Heart Failure Clinic and a cardiogenic shock response team.

The result of a collective effort

However, winning these awards is not the result of individual efforts, but rather of the ongoing work of numerous clinical and administrative teams focused on the continuous improvement of care processes.

“It’s the result of the efforts of a large group of people working together to achieve the highest standards for the benefit of patients”, said Dr. Erasmo de la Peña.

Likewise, he also emphasized that these achievements are a source of pride and reflect an effort centered on positively impacting people’s health.

According to Dr. Erasmo de la Peña, the Get With The Guidelines awards received by Zambrano Hellion Hospital reflect the kind of work typically carried out by an Academic Health Center.

This model integrates clinical care, research, and medical education to improve the quality of medical practice through safer, more efficient, and standardized care processes.

“These achievements solidify TecSalud’s position as a leader in Mexico, demonstrating that clinical excellence is the result of coordination, experience, and continuous improvement”, concluded Dr. de la Peña.

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