(OMAHA, Neb. – July 27, 2010) — Creighton University Medical Center (CUMC) has been recognized for achievement in using evidence-based guidelines to provide the best possible care to patients through The American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® program.
Creighton University Medical Center is listed in a special advertisement in the “America’s Best Hospitals” issue of US News & World Report (August issue, available July 27) to commemorate their receipt of Get With The Guidelines Gold Performance Achievement Awards in coronary artery disease (CAD) and in heart failure treatment. A total of 961 awards were given for achievement in coronary artery disease, stroke and/or heart failure treatment.
“We are proud that the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association have chosen the ‘America’s Best Hospitals’ issue of US News & World Report to recognize Creighton University Medical Center for our achievements in their Get With The Guidelines program,” said Creighton University Medical Center President and CEO Gary Honts. “Get With The Guidelines gives our professionals the tools and reports they need to effectively treat our coronary heart disease, heart failure and stroke patients.”
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.
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 is also 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/American Stroke Association’s advertisement recognizes CUMC’s commitment and success in performance achievement.
“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.”
Schwamm added, “Published scientific studies are providing us with more and more evidence that Get With The Guidelines works. Patients are getting the right care they need when they need it. That’s resulting in improved survival.”
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About Creighton University Medical Center
Creighton University Medical Center (CUMC) is one of the region’s premier academic medical centers and one of the largest health care providers in Nebraska. The organization includes Saint Joseph Hospital, a 334-bed acute care facility; Creighton University Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, and Pharmacy and Health Professions; and Creighton Medical Associates, a network of nearly 300 faculty physicians who practice in clinic locations throughout Nebraska and Iowa. CUMC is known for its centers of expertise in Cardiac Care, Cancer Care, Trauma, Minimally Invasive Surgery, High-Risk OB, Blood Conservation and Surgery. Its trauma center is the oldest and busiest in the state, and the medical center offers the region’s first freestanding facility dedicated to cardiac care. To learn more about the Creighton University Medical Center, visit www.creightonhospital.com.
About Get With The Guidelines
Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that empowers healthcare teams to save lives and reduce healthcare costs by helping hospitals follow evidence-based guidelines and recommendations. For more information, visit heart.org/quality.