LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Four Baptist Health hospitals have received American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Quality Achievement Awards for their commitment to ensuring patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on scientific evidence.
- Stroke Gold Plus: Baptist Health Medical Center-Conway, Baptist Health-Fort Smith and Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock. Hospitals receiving the Get With The Guidelines® Gold Plus Achievement Award achieved 85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke or Heart Failure Quality Achievement indicators for two or more consecutive calendar years and achieved 75 percent or higher compliance with additional select quality measures in stroke or heart failure.
- Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll: Baptist Health-Fort Smith, Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock and Baptist Health Medical Center-Conway. 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.”
- Target: Stroke Honor Roll: Baptist Health-Fort Smith and Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster alteplase.
- Mission: Lifeline Award Bronze Referral: Baptist Health-Van Buren. Agencies earn Bronze recognition with a minimum of at least four ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) patients transported directly to a STEMI Receiving Center for Primary PCI and/or STEMI Referring Hospital for fibrinolytic administration and for achieving 75 percent or higher adherence for at least one 90 consecutive day interval on all Mission: Lifeline® EMS quality measures to improve the quality of care for STEMI patients.
Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so brain cells die. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and accelerating recovery times.
Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research- and evidence-based guidelines. Get With The Guidelines – Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.
About Baptist Health
For more than 100 years, Baptist Health has delivered All Our Best in health care through Christian compassion and innovative services. Baptist Health is Arkansas’ most comprehensive health care organization with more than 250 points of access that include 11 hospitals; urgent care centers; a senior living community; over 100 primary and specialty care clinics; a college with studies in nursing and allied health; a graduate residency program; and access to virtual care anytime, anywhere. It is also the largest private not-for-profit health care organization based in Arkansas, providing care through the support of approximately 11,000 employees, groundbreaking treatments, renowned physicians and community outreach programs. For more information about Baptist Health, visit baptist-health.com, call Baptist Health HealthLine at 1-888-BAPTIST or download the myBaptistHealth app. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
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.