Hendrick Medical Center South earns national recognition for stroke treatment

American Heart Association’s Silver Plus Get With The Guidelines^®-Stroke Quality Achievement Award has been awarded to Hendrick Medical Center South for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines.

“Hendrick Medical Center South is honored to be recognized by the American Heart Association for our dedication to providing high quality care to the stroke patients in our community,” said Bea Swisher, stroke program coordinator at Hendrick Medical Center South.

Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the nation, with someone suffering from a stroke approximately every 40 seconds. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and speeding recovery times.

“Utilizing the Get with the Guidelines-Stroke registry assists us in providing guideline-directed care to improve outcomes for our stroke patients and to achieve our goal of being the leading healthcare system in our region,” said Dr. Travis MacKenzie, medical director for Hendrick Medical Center South stroke program.

Get With The Guidelines-Stroke was developed to assist healthcare professionals to provide the most up-to-date, research-based guidelines for treating stroke patients.

Each year, program participants apply for the award recognition by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, participants also provide education to patients to help them manage their health and rehabilitation once at home.

“We are pleased to recognize Hendrick Medical Center South for their commitment to stroke care,” said Dr. Lee H. Schwamm, national chairperson of the Quality Oversight Committee and executive vice chair of neurology, director of Acute Stroke Services, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. “Research has shown that hospitals adhering to clinical measures through the Get With The Guidelines quality improvement initiative can often see fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates.”

Additionally Hendrick Medical Center South received the Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed with more than 90% of compliance for 12 consecutive months for the “Overall Diabetes Cardiovascular Initiative Composite Score.”

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 tools and resources to increase adherence to 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 9 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org/quality.