VCU Medical Center Recognized for Implementing Quality Heart Disease and Stroke Care

By Malorie Burkett

The Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center has been recognized for achievement in using evidence-based guidelines to provide the best possible care to patients through the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines program.

VCU Medical Center and 814 other hospitals are featured in a special advertisement in the America’s Best Hospitals August issue of U.S. News & World Report to commemorate their receipt of Get With The Guidelines Gold, Gold Plus, Silver Plus or Silver Performance Achievement Award.

A total of 961 awards were given for achievement in coronary artery disease, stroke and/or heart failure treatment. The advertisement recognizes the VCU Medical Center’s commitment and success in performance achievement.
    
Hospitals recognized in each category achieve at least 85 percent compliance to Get With The Guidelines measures. Those achieving 85 percent compliance for 24 consecutive months receive the Gold Performance Achievement Award, with the Silver Performance Achievement Award going to those with 85 percent compliance for 12 consecutive months.

Special recognition also is given for those hospitals achieving 85 percent compliance in two or all three categories and/or for being in 75 percent compliance with heart failure and/or stroke measures.

“The American Heart Association is pleased to recognize its top Get With The Guidelines participants,” said. Lee Schwamm, M.D., national chairman of the Get With The Guidelines steering committee, associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and vice chairman of neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Healthcare providers who use Get With The Guidelines are armed with the latest evidence-based guidelines and immediate access to clinical decision support, using a set of tools that have been shown to improve delivery of evidence-based care. The goal of this initiative is to improve the quality of life and help reduce deaths and disability among patients with heart disease and stroke.”

Get With The Guidelines is a hospital-based quality-improvement program designed to ensure that hospitals consistently care for cardiac and stroke patients following the most up-to-date guidelines and recommendations. The program addresses coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke. Currently more than 1,400 hospitals participate in the program.
For more information, visit heart.org/quality.