BMC Recognized By The American Heart Association For Turning Guidelines Into Lifelines
Boston Medical Center (BMC) was recognized for its achievement in implementing the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Get With The GuidelinesSM (GWTG) for stroke care.
BMC has received the GWTG gold Performance Achievement Award for stroke. This level of achievement shows BMC’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for stroke patients.
GWTG helps ensure that patients treated and discharged receive quality care in accordance with guidelines that will reduce the risk of recurrent events. It takes advantage of the “teachable moment,” the time soon after a stroke when patients are most likely to listen to their healthcare professionals’ treatment recommendations. Studies demonstrate that patients who are taught how to manage their risk factors while still in the hospital reduce their risk of a second stroke.
This accomplishment signifies that BMC has reached an aggressive goal of treating stroke patients with 85 percent compliance to core standard levels of care outlined by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association secondary prevention guidelines and recommendations.
According to GWTG treatment guidelines, patients are treated with intravenous tPA and antithrombotics acutely, receive DVT prophylaxis, and are started on aggressive risk reduction therapies such as cholesterol-lowering drugs, antihypertensive agents, aspirin or anticoagulants. They also receive smoking cessation and alcohol/drug use counseling, as well as referrals for rehabilitation.
BMC has consistently and successfully implemented these quality measures for 24 consecutive months specified by module since they began participating in the program.
“The full implementation of acute and secondary prevention guideline recommended therapy is a critical step in reducing death and disability of cardiovascular disease patients,” said Gregg C Fonarow, M.D., National Chairman of the GWTG Steering Committee and Director of Ahmanson-UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center. “The goal of the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines program is to help hospitals like BMC implement appropriate evidence-based care and protocols that will reduce the number of deaths in these patients and in their communities. BMC has achieved a high level of performance in terms of implementing these life-prolonging treatments.”
According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, each year approximately 700,000 people suffer a stroke.
“BMC is dedicated to making our care for stroke patients among the best in the country. We will continue in our efforts to build off the success achieved with continued implementation of this valuable program,” said Dr. Carlos S. Kase, Professor and Chair of Neurology. “GWTG makes it easier for our professionals to improve the long-term outcomes of our stroke patients, and we are pleased to be recognized for our dedication and achievements.”
BMC’s staff develops and implements acute and secondary prevention guideline processes. The program includes quality improvement measures such as care maps, discharge protocols, standing orders and measurement tools. This quick and efficient use of guideline tools will enable BMC to improve the quality of care it provides stroke patients, save lives and ultimately, reduce healthcare costs by lowering recurrence of events.
The program mobilizes teams in acute care hospitals to implement American Heart Association/American Stroke Association secondary prevention guidelines.