American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Recognition Focuses on Improving Quality of Care and Patient Outcomes
American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Recognition Focuses on Improving Quality of Care and Patient Outcomes
Jun 25, 2018
For the first time, NYC Health + Hospitals has received national recognition awards for all 11 of its hospitals for implementing specific quality improvement measures related to the treatment of patients suffering from heart failure, cardiac arrest, and stroke, it was announced today. The awards from the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association recognize the consistent application of best-practice, research-based standards of care, which reduce recovery time, disability, and mortality rates for stroke patients, and reduce hospital readmissions for heart failure patients.
While three hospitals matched their 2017 performance, the other eight improved upon their recognition from 2017—either by adding a new award or by achieving a higher level award in a category for which it had previously been recognized. For example, NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County not only matched its high-level stroke recognition from last year, but also improved its heart failure recognition from silver to gold and added first-time recognition for resuscitation.
Eight hospitals received the highest award for excellence in stroke care. Five hospitals improved their performance in a category for which they were recognized last year, and five hospitals earned new recognitions this year. The full list of awards for the public health system is below.
“We are pleased with this year’s results from the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association—for the simple reason that our results are further evidence of our ongoing commitment to improving care for our patients,” said Machelle Allen, MD, chief medical officer of NYC Health + Hospitals.
The awards recognize success in meeting or exceeding standards established by the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association through their “Get with the Guidelines” (GWTG) program. To earn recognition in stroke care, the standards include aggressive use of medications such as clot-busting and anti-clotting drugs, blood thinners, and cholesterol-reducing drugs; preventive action for deep vein thrombosis; and smoking cessation counseling. To earn the award for excellence in heat failure care, standards include the proper use of medications and aggressive risk-reduction therapies; provision of educational materials to patients on managing heart failure and overall health; and scheduling of follow-up visits. To earn recognition for resuscitation, the standards include adopting protocols for patient safety, medical emergency team response, effective and timely resuscitation, and post-resuscitation care.
Most of the awards received by NYC Health + Hospitals also featured add-on “Elite” and/or “Plus” recognition, noting that additional rigorous criteria had also been met—criteria such as, for stroke, “time to intravenous thrombolytic therapy – 60 min.”
The following public hospitals were recognized by the American Stroke Association and the American Heart Association:
Manhattan
NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue
- GWTG-Heart Failure Gold Plus & Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll Award
- GWTG-Stroke Gold Plus & Target: Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll Award
- GWTG-Resuscitation Gold Award (Adult Patient Population)
NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem
- GWTG-Stroke Gold Plus Award
NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan
- GWTG-Stroke Gold Plus & Target: Stroke Honor Roll Award*
Bronx
NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi
- GWTG-Stroke Gold Plus & Target: Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll Award*
- GWTG-Heart Failure Bronze Award**
NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln
- GWTG-Stroke Gold Plus & Target: Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll Award
- GWTG-Heart Failure Silver Plus Award*
NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx
- GWTG-Heart Failure Gold Plus & Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll Award*
Brooklyn
NYC Health + Hospitals/Coney Island
- GWTG-Stroke Gold Plus Award
NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County
- GWTG-Stroke Gold Plus & Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll Award
- GWTG-Heart Failure Gold Plus Award*
- GWTG-Resuscitation Silver Award** (Adult Patient Population)
NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull
- GWTG-Heart Failure Gold Award
- GWTG-Stroke Silver Plus Award**
Queens
NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst
- GWTG-Stroke Gold Plus & Target: Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll Award
- GWTG-Resuscitation Bronze Award** (Adult Patient Population)
NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens
- GWTG-Heart Failure Participation Award**
* = Improved performance in a category for which the hospital was recognized last year
** = New recognition
Nine of the public health system’s hospitals are designated Stroke Centers by the New York State Department of Health. Trained in stroke diagnosis and treatment, dedicated stroke teams are committed to providing patients with rapid diagnosis and effective treatment. To receive more information or get connected to care, please visit nychealthandhospitals.org to find a public hospital in your community.