Palmetto General Hospital has achieved the “Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure” Gold Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Foundation’s secondary prevention guidelines for patients with heart failure.
“Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure” is a quality improvement program that helps hospital teams provide the most up-to-date, research-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing hospital readmissions for heart failure patients. Launched in 2005, numerous published studies have demonstrated the program’s success in achieving patient outcome improvements, including reductions in 30-day readmissions.
“Palmetto General Hospital is dedicated to making our cardiac unit among the best in the country and the American Heart Association’s ‘Get With The Guidelines’ program is helping us accomplish that by making it easier for our professionals to measure and improve the long-term outcomes of our cardiac patients,” said hospital CEO, Ana Mederos.
“We are pleased to be recognized for our dedication and achievement in cardiac care.”
Palmetto General Hospital earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the patient, proper use of medications and aggressive risk-reduction therapies.
These would include ACE inhibitors/ARBs, beta-blockers, diuretics, anticoagulants and other appropriate therapies. Before patients are discharged, they also receive education on managing their heart failure and overall health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.
Palmetto General Hospital also received the association’s Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll. This initiative provides hospitals with educational tools, prevention programs, and treatment guidelines designed to reduce the risk of heart failure patients ending up back in the hospital.
Hospitals are required to meet 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.
According to the American Heart Association, about 5.7 million adults in the United States suffer from heart failure, with the number expected to rise to eight million by 2030. Statistics show that each year about 870,000 new cases are diagnosed and about 50 percent of those diagnosed will die within five years. However, many heart failure patients can lead a full, enjoyable life when their condition is managed with proper medications or devices and with healthy lifestyle changes.
Palmetto General Hospital is a 360-bed acute-care hospital located at 2001 West 68th Street in Hialeah, part of Tenet Healthcare. The hospital has served the medical and healthcare needs of Northwest Miami-Dade and Southwest Broward counties for over 40 years. To learn more about Palmetto General Hospital, visit www.palmettogeneral.com or call 305-823-5000.
