Northwest Community Healthcare receives two national quality awards

American Heart Association Award recognizes NCH’s commitment to quality stroke and AFIB care

Northwest Community Hospital (NCH) has been recognized by the American Heart Association for their performance in two quality programs receiving the American Heart/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll and the American Heart Association’s Get With the Guidelines® AFIB Gold Quality Achievement Award.

The awards recognize the commitment of NCH to ensuring patients presenting with stroke and atrial fibrillation  receive the most appropriate treatment  according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.  NCH earned the awards by meeting specific quality achievement measures at a set level for a designated period of time. 

“NCH is dedicated to improving the quality of care for our patients presenting with stroke and atrial fibrillation by implementing the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines initiatives,” says Evelyn Pagán, MBA, CPHQ, LSSBB, VP and Chief Quality Officer at NCH.  “The tools and resources provided help us track and measure our success in meeting evidence-based clinical guidelines developed to improve patient outcomes.”

“We are pleased to recognize Northwest Community Hospital for their commitment to stroke and atrial fibrillation care,” says Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., 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 initiatives can often see fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates.”

According to the American Heart Association, more than 2.7 million adults suffer from atrial fibrillation.  The condition accounts for about one-third of hospitalizations for cardiac rhythm disturbance and is associated with a five-fold increase risk of stroke. Proper treatment of atrial fibrillation can reduce these risks.

Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States according to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year. NCH has also met specific scientific guidelines as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, featuring a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department.