American Heart Association Awards Given for Dedication to Ensuring Stroke Patients Have Access to Best Practices and Life-Saving Care
BOSTON – Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has received the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines - Stroke Gold Plus quality achievement award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.
"These recognitions are a reflection of our outstanding cardiovascular team and their dedication to high-quality care," said Pete Healy, president of BIDMC and divisional president, Metro Boston, Beth Israel Lahey Health. "By following the American Heart Association's guidelines for stroke care, we can aim for the best outcomes for our patients."
Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so brain cells die. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and accelerating recovery times.
BIDMC also received the following awards:
- American Heart Association's Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll award: To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient's arrival at the hospital and treatment with thrombolytic therapy.
- American Heart Association's Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award: Target: Type 2 Diabetes aims to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke.
- American Heart Association's Target: Stroke Honor Roll Advanced Therapy award: Hospitals must meet specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient's arrival at the hospital and treatment to remove the clot causing the stroke.
- American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines - Heart Failure Gold Plus: This award is earned by hospitals that demonstrate a commitment to treating patients according to the most up-to-date guidelines as outlined by the American Heart Association.
- American Heart Association's Target: Heart Failure Optimal Honor Roll: Hospitals on the Honor Roll meet specific criteria that improve medication adherence, provide early follow-up care and coordination, and enhance patient education. The goal is to further reduce hospital readmissions and help patients improve their quality of life in managing this chronic condition.
- American Heart Association's Target: Survival: Hospitals receive this award in recognition of their commitment to treating in-hospital cardiac arrest, ultimately helping to improve survival rates.
Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research- and evidence-based guidelines. Get With The Guidelines - Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.
Each year, program participants qualify for the award by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Get With The Guidelines participants also educate patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home.
"We are incredibly pleased to recognize Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke," said Steven Messe, MD, volunteer chair of the American Heart Association Stroke System of Care Advisory Group. "Participation in Get With The Guidelines is associated with improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates — a win for health care systems, families and communities."
