UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL EARNS NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR EFFORTS TO PROVIDE HIGH-QUALITY CARDIOVASCULAR TREATMENT

The American Heart Association Presents Multiple Achievement Awards for Implementation of Best Practices and Life-Saving Care for Patients

University Hospital has received three American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines and Mission: Lifeline Awards for implementing quality improvement measures that ensure cardiovascular patients receive efficient and coordinated care, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer returns to the hospital.

Nearly half of all adults in the U.S. have experienced some form of cardiovascular disease – including heart attack, stroke and heart failure. Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke or heart attack, and heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 5 causes of death in the United States, respectively. For patients with conditions that are severe enough to be transported or admitted to a hospital, time is critical. Studies show that patients can recover better when providers consistently follow treatment guidelines.

The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® and Get With The Guidelines® programs help reduce barriers to prompt treatment for cardiovascular events. As a participant in both programs, University Hospital applied for the award recognitions by demonstrating how the hospital has committed to improving quality care for patients.

This year, University Hospital received the following Achievement Awards and honors:

• Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke – GOLD PLUS
  • Target: Stroke^SM Honor Roll Elite
  • Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
• Get With The Guidelines® – Heart Failure – GOLD PLUS
  • Target: Heart Failure^SM Honor Roll
• Mission: Lifeline® – GOLD PLUS – Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to the latest scientific treatment guidelines. Numerous published studies demonstrate the program’s success in achieving measurable patient outcome improvements.

University Hospital received the Association’s Target: Stroke^SM Honor Roll Elite Therapy honor. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke. Lastly, the Hospital received the Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll recognition. To qualify for this honor, hospitals must meet quality measures developed with more than 90% of compliance for 12 consecutive months for the “Overall Diabetes Cardiovascular Initiative Composite Score.”

University Hospital is recognized on the association’s Target: Heart Failure^SM Honor Roll. Hospitals are required to meet specific criteria that improves medication adherence, provides early follow-up care and coordination and enhances patient education. The goal is to reduce hospital readmissions and help patients improve their quality of life in managing this chronic condition.

Mission: Lifeline ^® is the American Heart Association’s national initiative to advance the system of care for patients with acute, high-risk time sensitive life and/or quality of life threatening disease states, such as ST Elevate Myocardial Infarction (STEMI Heart Attack), Non-ST Elevated Myocardial Infarction (NSTEMI Heart Attack), Stroke, and Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest. The overarching goals of Mission: Lifeline are to bring stakeholders together in a collaborative manner and to reduce mortality and morbidity for these patients while improving overall quality of care and patient outcomes.

“University Hospital is honored to once again be recognized by the American Heart Association for our work in maximizing survival and recovery after cardiovascular events,” said Mary K.E. Maples, Interim President and CEO of University Hospital. “The Mission: Lifeline and Get with the Guidelines programs help put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, and help us to meet our mission to provide exceptional care to every patient, every time.”

“We are pleased to recognize University Hospital for its commitment to caring for those in their community who need cardiovascular care,” said John Warner, M.D., FAHA, past president of the American Heart Association and executive vice president for health system affairs at UT Southwestern Medical Center, in Dallas. “Hospitals that follow the American Heart Association’s quality improvement protocols often see improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates – a win for health care systems, families and communities.”