York Hospital’s stroke team has once again received a Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke Gold Plus Achievement Award from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association.® This award acknowledges the hospital’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, evidence-based guidelines.
Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the U.S. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds. Nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and speeding recovery times.
Get With The Guidelines-Stroke was developed to assist healthcare professionals in providing the most up-to-date, research-based guidelines for treating stroke patients.
“York Hospital is honored to be recognized by the American Heart Association for our dedication to helping our patients have the best possible chance of survival after a stroke,” said Lawrence Petrovich, MD, Medical Director of York Hospital Cardiology Services. “Get With The Guidelines-Stroke makes it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis to improve outcomes for stroke patients.”
As a recipient of the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Achievement Award, York Hospital reached an aggressive goal of treating patients with 85 percent or higher compliance to core standard levels of care as outlined by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association for two consecutive calendar years. In addition, the hospital demonstrated 75 percent compliance to four out of ten heart facility quality measures or four out of seven stroke quality measures during the 12-month period.
Each year, program participants apply for the award recognition by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, participants also provide education to patients to help them manage their health and rehabilitation once at home.
“We are pleased to recognize York Hospital for their commitment to stroke care,” said Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., national chairperson of the Quality Oversight Committee and Executive Vice Chair of Neurology, Director of Acute Stroke Services, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. “Research has shown that hospitals adhering to clinical measures through the Get With The Guidelines quality improvement initiative can often see fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates.”
For more information about Get With The Guidelines, visit heart.org/quality. For more information about the services offered by York Hospital Cardiovascular Care, or to set up an appointment, please visit www.yorkhospital.com or contact them directly at 207-351-2424.