(St. Louis) – Des Peres Hospital was recognized for its achievement in implementing the American Heart Association’s Get With the GuidelinesSM for coronary artery disease and heart failure.
Des Peres Hospital has received Get With the Guidelines Gold Performance Achievement Awards in coronary artery disease and heart failure. This level of achievement shows Des Peres Hospital’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart disease patients.
Get With the Guidelines helps ensure that patients treated and discharged receive quality care in accordance with guidelines that will reduce the risk of secondary events. It takes advantage of a “teachable moment,” the time soon after a heart attack, when patients are most likely to listen to their healthcare professional’s treatment recommendations. Studies demonstrate that patients who are taught how to manage their risk factors while still in the hospital reduce their risk of a second heart attack.
This accomplishment signifies that Des Peres Hospital has reached an aggressive goal of treating coronary artery disease and heart failure patients with 85 percent compliance to core standard levels of care outlined by the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology secondary prevention guidelines and recommendations.
According to Get With the Guidelines treatment guidelines, patients are started on aggressive risk reduction therapies such as cholesterol-lowering drugs, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, aspirin, diuretics and anticoagulants in the hospital. They also receive alcohol/drug use and thyroid management counseling as well as referrals for cardiac rehabilitation before being discharged.
Des Peres Hospital has consistently and successfully implemented these quality measures for 24 consecutive months.
“The full implementation of acute and secondary prevention guideline recommended therapy is a critical step in reducing death and disability of cardiovascular disease patients,” said Gregg C. Fonarow, MD, national chairman of the Get With the Guidelines Steering Committee and Director of Ahmanson-UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center.
According to the American Heart Association, each year approximately 325,000 people suffer a recurrent heart attack and 5.7 million people suffer from heart failure.
“Des Peres Hospital is dedicated to making our care for heart disease patients among the best in the country,” said Michele C. Meyer, chief executive officer. “We will continue in our efforts to build off the success achieved with continued implementation of this valuable program.
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