The American Heart Association has honored three Lifespan hospitals for meeting quality improvement measures aimed at ensuring cardiovascular patients receive efficient and coordinated care that saves lives, achieves shorter recovery times, and reduces the need to return to the hospital.
Rhode Island Hospital, The Miriam Hospital, and Newport Hospital have received the Get With The Guidelines®- Stroke GOLD PLUS Quality Achievement Award for demonstrating commitment to improving quality care for patients and reducing barriers to prompt treatment for cardiovascular events.
Rhode Island Hospital received the additional designations of Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite and Target: Stroke Advanced Therapy. The Miriam Hospital received the additional designation Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite.
All three hospitals also received the additional designation of Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll Award. This means the hospitals met quality measures with more than 90% compliance over a one-year period for the “Overall Diabetes Cardiovascular Initiative Composite Score.”
According to the American Heart Association, nearly half of all adults in the United States have experienced some form of cardiovascular disease – including heart attack, stroke, and heart failure. For patients with conditions severe enough to require hospitalization, time is critical. As a participant in Get With The Guidelines® programs, Rhode Island Hospital, The Miriam Hospital, and Newport Hospital are recognized for being able to demonstrate how their hospital has committed to improving quality patient care.
“We are honored that the American Heart Association has bestowed these awards to the Lifespan stroke centers,” said Melissa Harmon, MSN, RN, Manager, Comprehensive Stroke Program at Rhode Island Hospital. “It is a great accomplishment for all three centers to have achieved these awards for so many years. This is a testament to the dedication of staff across affiliates to provide top quality stroke care that produces the best possible outcome for our patients.”
“It is exciting for all three hospitals to earn the Get With The Guidelines® stroke recognition. It is because of everyone’s dedication to exceptional care to our stroke patients across our hospital system that we have been able to achieve these awards.” said Karen Schaefer, MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC, ASC-BC, stroke program manager for The Miriam Hospital and Newport Hospital. “The Newport Hospital earned the diabetes distinction since it was available three years ago and it is impressive that the other two affiliates were able to do the same just one year later.”