Houston Northwest Medical Center recently received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines®–Heart Failure Gold Achievement Award and Coronary Artery Disease Gold Achievement Award. These awards recognize Houston Northwest Medical Center’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of cardiac care.
“The Heart Failure Gold Achievement Award recognizes Houston Northwest Medical Center’s aggressive goal of treating heart failure patients in compliance with American Heart Association’s scientific guidelines,” says Terry Kirk, RN, chief nursing officer at Houston Northwest Medical Center. According to the American Heart Association, about 5.8 million people suffer from heart failure.
“The full implementation of national heart failure guideline recommended care is a critical step in preventing recurrent hospitalizations and prolonging the lives of heart failure patients,” said Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., chair of the Get With The Guidelines National Steering Committee and director of the TeleStroke and Acute Stroke Services at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Mass.
According to the American Heart Association, each year, about 1.2 million Americans have a new or recurrent heart attack. “What really gets us excited at Houston Northwest Medical Center is seeing the lives we’re impacting,” says Marianne Morse, RN, core measures nurse coordinator who played a critical role helping Houston Northwest Medical Center participate and meet stringent qualifications established by the Get with the Guidelines program. “We are pleased that the collaboration between the medical staff, nursing and ancillary services is recognized for their dedication and achievements in cardiac care.”
Under the Get With The Guidelines program, Houston Northwest Medical Center is able to implement aggressive risk reduction therapies before they are discharged. “Hospitals like Houston Northwest Medical Center that receive the Get With The Guidelines - CAD Gold Achievement Award have demonstrated for 24 consecutive months that at least 85 percent of its eligible coronary patients (without contraindications) are discharged following the American Heart Association’s recommended treatment guidelines,” adds Kirk.
"Houston Northwest Medical Center 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 improve the long-term outcomes of our cardiac patients,” said Pam Egan, RN, director of the Ed Roberson Heart Center at Houston Northwest Medical Center.