NUMC RECEIVES AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION “”GET WITH THE GUIDELINES HEART FAILURE GOLD PLUS QUALITY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD AND TARGET: HEART FAILURE HONOR ROLL””
Victor F. Politi, MD, FACP, FACEP Michael B. Mirotznik, Esq.,
President/CEO Chairman Board of Directors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 30, 2015
PRESS CONTACT:
Shelley Lotenberg
shelley@numc.edu
516-572-6055
NUMC RECEIVES AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION “GET WITH THE GUIDELINES HEART FAILURE GOLD PLUS QUALITY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD AND TARGET: HEART FAILURE HONOR ROLL”
EAST MEADOW, NY April 30, 2015 — Victor F. Politi, MD, FACP, FACEP, President/CEO of the NuHealth System, announces that the Nassau University Medical Center has received the Get With The Guidelines®-Heart Failure Gold-Plus Quality Achievement Award as well as Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Foundation secondary prevention guidelines for heart failure patients.
“This marks the fourth year that NUMC has been recognized with a quality achievement award. In addition, this year, we have achieved the highest level of recognition, Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll, for our heart failure program by the American Heart Association. Congratulations are extended to the entire cardiology department, under the leadership of Dr. Makaryus, chairman. Get With the Guidelines-Heart Failure is a quality improvement program that helps hospital teams provide the most up-to-date, research-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing hospital readmissions for heart failure patients,” stated Dr. Politi.
NUMC’s Department of Cardiology earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include proper use of medications and aggressive risk-reduction therapies such as cholesterol-lowering drugs, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, aldosterone antagonists, aspirin, diuretics and anticoagulants while patients are in the hospital. Before patients are discharged, they also receive education on managing their heart failure and overall health, as well as referrals for cardiac rehabilitation.
“NUMC is dedicated to improving the quality of care for our heart failure patients, and following the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure program, helps us to accomplish this goal by tracking and measuring our success in meeting internationally-respected guidelines,” said Amgad Makaryus MD, chairman of the department of cardiology. This award along with the Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll which is the highest level of achievement is a tribute to the excellent work by NUMC’s cardiology staff, including Deborah Ahearn, heart failure nurse practitioner.”
“We are pleased to recognize Nassau University Medical Center for their commitment to heart failure care,” said Deepak L. Bhatt, M.D., M.P.H., national chairman of the Get with the Guidelines steering committee and Executive Director of Interventional Cardiovascular Programs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. “Studies have shown that hospitals that consistently follow Get with the Guidelines quality improvement measures can reduce patients’ length of stays and 30-day readmission rates and also reduce disparity gaps in care.”
According to the American Heart Association, about 5.7 million people suffer from heart failure. Each year, 870,000 new cases are diagnosed and about 50% of those diagnosed will die within five years. However, many heart failure patients can lead a full life when their condition is managed with proper medications and devices and with healthy lifestyle changes.
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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 4 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org/quality or heart.org/myhealthcare.
ABOUT NUHEALTH
NuHealth is a Long Island health care organization delivering essential medical care and disease and lifestyle management to everyone at every stage of life. Also known as Nassau Health Care Corporation, NuHealth is a public benefit corporation managing the operations of Nassau Medical Center, A. Holly Patterson Extended Care and a network of Family Health Centers that bring primary and specialty care out into the community. By emphasizing wellness, cultural sensitivity and collaborative efforts with the North Shore-LIJ Health System, NuHealth is working to make good care more affordable and easier to access.
For more information about NuHealth or its Centers of Care, visit www.nuhealth.net.