Percent of Heart Attack Patients Given Smoking Cessation Advice/Counseling

Why Is This Treatment Important?

Smoking increases your risk for developing blood clots and heart disease that can result in a heart attack, heart failure or stroke. Smoking causes your arteries to thicken and your blood vessels to narrow. Fat and plaque stick to the walls of your arteries, which makes it harder for blood to flow. Reduced blood flow to your heart may result in chest pain, high blood pressure, and an increased heart rate. Smoking is also linked to lung disease and cancer, and can cause premature death.

It is important that you get information to help you quit smoking before you leave the hospital. Quitting may help prevent another heart attack.

What the Scores Mean

A higher percentage, or score, is good because it means more patients received the recommended treatment. However, a lower score does not necessarily indicate poor care. You should consider the overall quality of a facility in addition to individual category scores.

About the Data

The data on this site is reported to the Department of Health and Human Services and is updated on a quarterly basis. It represents patient care data from July 2010 through June 2011, which was released in May 2012. The explanation of the data is courtesy of the Department of Health and Human Services. For more information, please visit the Hospital Compare website.