The American Heart Association presented UNC Health with multiple Achievement Awards for implementation of quality care at eight hospitals across the state.
Eight UNC Health hospitals have received American Heart Association Achievement Awards for implementing quality improvement measures that ensure cardiovascular patients receive efficient and coordinated care, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer returns to the hospital.
Nearly half of all adults in the U.S. have experienced some form of cardiovascular disease – including heart attack, stroke and heart failure. For patients with conditions that are severe enough to be transported or admitted to a hospital, time is critical.
The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline and Get With The Guidelines programs help reduce barriers to prompt treatment for cardiovascular events. As a participant in both programs, the UNC Health hospitals applied for the award recognitions by demonstrating how their organization has committed to improving quality care for patients.
“UNC Health is honored to be recognized by the American Heart Association for our dedication to helping our patients have the best possible chance of survival and recovery after cardiovascular events,” said David Huang, MD, PhD, Director of the UNC Hospitals Stroke Center. “The Mission: Lifeline and Get with the Guidelines programs help put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis to improve outcomes for cardiovascular patients.”
This year, eight UNC Health hospitals received the following Achievement Awards:
UNC Hospitals: Gold Plus, Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll, Target: Stroke Advanced Therapy Honor Roll, Target: Type II Diabetes Honor Roll
UNC Lenoir Health Care: Gold Plus, Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll, Target: Type II Diabetes Honor Roll
UNC Pardee Health Care: Gold Plus, Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll, Target: Type II Diabetes Honor Roll
UNC REX Health Care: Gold Plus, Target: Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll, Target: Type II Diabetes Honor Roll
UNC Nash Health Care: Gold Plus, Target: Stroke Honor Roll, Target: Type II Diabetes Honor Roll
UNC Johnston Health Care: Silver Plus, Target: Type II Diabetes Honor Roll
UNC Onslow Health Care: Gold Plus
UNC Health Blue Ridge: Gold Plus
“We are pleased to recognize UNC Health for their commitment to cardiovascular care,” said Lee H. Schwamm, MD, national chairperson of the American Heart Association’s 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 American Heart Association’s quality improvement programs often see fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates.”
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About UNC Health
UNC Health is an integrated health care system owned by the state of North Carolina and based in Chapel Hill. It exists to further the teaching mission of the University of North Carolina and to provide state-of-the-art patient care.
UNC Health is comprised of UNC Hospitals at Chapel Hill, ranked consistently among the best medical centers in the country; the UNC School of Medicine, a nationally eminent research institution; Pardee UNC Health Care in Hendersonville; Chatham Hospital in Siler City; Johnston Health in Clayton and Smithfield; UNC Lenoir Health Care in Kinston; Wayne UNC Health Care in Goldsboro; Caldwell UNC Health Care in Lenoir; Nash UNC Health Care in Rocky Mount; UNC Rockingham Health Care in Eden, Onslow Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, UNC Health Southeastern in Lumberton, UNC REX Healthcare and its provider network in Wake County; UNC Health Blue Ridge in the Morganton area; and the UNC Physicians Network. For more information, please visit www.unchealth.org
About Mission: Lifeline
The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program helps hospitals and emergency medical services develop systems of care that follow proven standards and procedures for STEMI patients. The program works by mobilizing teams across the continuum of care to implement American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Foundation clinical treatment guidelines. For more information, visit heart.org.
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 9 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.