This slide represents the HCFA data reported in an October 2000 JAMA article. Data was collected on 750 patients per state, and although that is a modest sample, it was a very rigorous chart review. These patients came into the hospital with an AMI, and all of them were screened so that all of these interventions should have occurred in each of these patients. The right column indicates where we should be “optimally.” The left-column indicates where we are nationwide. As we consider the number of AMI’s annually, a 15% treatment gap for aspirin is far-reaching.

Cholesterol was not measured in the HCFA survey, and the data comes from the National Registry for Myocardial Infarction. It represents about 100,000 patients and is from July 2000. At that time, it was reported that 37% of patients were leaving the hospital on a lipid-lowering intervention. We know that about 96% of patients leave the hospital with an elevated lipid level and would benefit from a cholesterol-lowering intervention. Again, a substantial gap in treatment.