MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® - Heart Failure Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award, as well as the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. Along with these awards, MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center received recognition under the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Target Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. The awards recognize Long Beach Medical Center’s commitment to following up-to-date, research-based guidelines for the treatment of heart failure and stroke, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer readmissions to the hospital.
MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center earned the awards by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure and stroke patients, ensuring they receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines founded in the latest scientific evidence. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and aggressive risk-reduction therapies. Before discharge, patients also receive education on managing their overall health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.
“MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center is committed to improving the quality of care for our heart failure and stroke patients by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines and streamlining processes to ensure timely and proper care for heart failure and strokes,” says Ike Mmeje, chief operating officer, Long Beach Medical Center. “Implementing the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get with the Guidelines initiatives programs make it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis.”
Long Beach Medical Center also is recognized on the association’s Target: Heart FailureSM Honor Roll, Target: StrokeSM Elite Plus, and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. To qualify for these recognitions, Long Beach Medical Center must meet additional quality measures.
“We are pleased to have been nationally recognized by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association,” says Joe Kim, chief medical officer, Long Beach Medical Center. “Research has shown that hospitals adhering to these clinical measures through the Get With The Guidelines quality improvement initiative have seen fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates.”
The MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Long Beach Medical Center is a leader in cardiovascular diagnostics, treatment and innovative research. Long Beach Medical Center is a Joint Commission Certified Comprehensive Stroke Center, which means that the hospital is focused on providing highly specialized stroke care.
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 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.