Meadville Medical Center Receives Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Silver Plus Quality Award
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Meadville Medical Center
Meadville, PA - Meadville Medical Center (MMC) has received the American
Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke
Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes the hospital's
commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment
according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on
the latest scientific evidence. "This award confirms our dedication
to providing excellent and timely care for patients experiencing stroke
in our community," commented Katie Warren, DO, Medical Director of
the Stroke program.
MMC earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures
for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for
a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use
of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date,
evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing
death and disability for stroke patients. Before discharge, patients should
also receive education on managing their health, get a follow-up visit
scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.
"Meadville Medical Center is dedicated to improving the quality of
care for our stroke patients by implementing the American Heart Association's
Get With The Guidelines-Stroke initiative," said Denise Johnson,
MD, MMC Chief Medical Officer. "The tools and resources provided
help us track and measure our success in meeting evidenced-based clinical
guidelines developed to improve patient outcomes."
MMC is also recognized on the association's Target: StrokeSM Honor
Roll. To qualify for the Target: Stroke Honor Roll, hospitals must meet
quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient's
arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen
activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
to treat ischemic stroke.
MMC has also met specific scientific guidelines as a Primary Stroke Center
or as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, featuring a comprehensive system
for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency
department.
"We are pleased to recognize Meadville Medical Center 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."
According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association,
stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability
in the United States. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke
every 40 seconds and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke
each year.
About Get With The Guidelines®
Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American
Stroke Association's hospital-based quality improvement program that
provides hospitals with tools and resources to increase adherence to the
latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives
and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines® has touched the lives
of more than 6 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit
heart.org.