Aultman Hospital Recognized For Implementing Quality Heart Disease, Stroke Care
CANTON, July 22, 2009 — Aultman Hospital 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.
Aultman is just one of 13 hospitals nationwide to receive the 2009 Triple Gold Recognition. The Triple Gold Recognition is for those hospitals who have sustained performance of two or more years of 85% or higher adherence to all performance measures in all three Get With The Guidelines modules (coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke).
Aultman and 569 other hospitals are featured in an advertisement in the “America’s Best Hospitals” issue of US News & World Report to commemorate their receipt of Get With The Guidelines Gold or Silver Performance Achievement Award. The awards are given for achievement in coronary artery disease, stroke and/or heart failure treatment. ( see ad here; Aultman is listed on top of page 2)
Hospitals are recognized in each category in which they achieve at least 85 percent compliance to Get With The Guidelines measures. Those hospitals marking 85 percent compliance for 24 consecutive months are given the Gold Performance Achievement Award, with the Silver Performance Achievement award going to those with 85 percent compliance for 12 consecutive months.
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 1,450 hospitals participate in the program.
The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s advertisement recognizes Aultman Hospital’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. The goal of this initiative is to ultimately improve the quality of life and help reduce deaths among heart and stroke patients.”
About Aultman
Aultman Health Foundation is a not-for-profit health-care organization serving Stark and surrounding counties. The vertically integrated institution includes Aultman Hospital, the locally managed health-insurance provider AultCare and the Aultman College of Nursing and Health Sciences. With 808 beds, 530 active physicians and a staff of more than 5,000 employees, Aultman is Stark County’s largest hospital and employer. For more information, visit www.aultman.org.
About Get With The Guidelines
Get With The Guidelines (GWTG) 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 americanheart.org/getwiththeguidelines.
Media Contacts
Angela Presutti, Communications Director
American Heart Association
330-664-1906, Angela.presutti@heart.org
Leslee Dennis, Corporate Communications
Aultman Health Foundation
330-363-5319, ldennis@aultman.com
