NASSAU UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER RECEIVES GET WITH THE GUIDELINES- STROKE GOLD PLUS QUALITY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 3, 2012

PRESS CONTACT:
Shelley Lotenberg
shelley@numc.edu
516-572-6055

Nassau University Medical Center Receives Get With The Guidelines- Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award

Award demonstrates NUMC’s commitment to quality care for stroke patients

EAST MEADOW, NY….. NUMC has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award.  The award recognizes the Nassau University Medical Center’s commitment and success in implementing excellent care for stroke patients, according to evidence-based guidelines.
 

To receive the award, NUMC achieved  85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality Achievement indicators for two or more consecutive 12-month intervals and achieved 75 percent or higher compliance with six of 10 Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality Measures, which are reporting initiatives to measure quality of care. 
 These measures include aggressive use of medications, such as tPA, antithrombotics, anticoagulation therapy, DVT prophylaxis, cholesterol reducing drugs and smoking cessation, all aimed at reducing death and disability and improving the lives of stroke patients.
 

“With a stroke, time lost is brain lost, and the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award demonstrates NUMC’s commitment to being one of the top hospitals in the country for providing aggressive, proven stroke care,” said Arthur A. Gianelli, President/CEO of the NuHealth System.  “We commend the dedicated professionals whose collaborative work allowed us to achieve this success.”
 

“NUMC is to be commended for its commitment to implementing standards of care and protocols for treating stroke patients,” said Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., chair of the Get With The Guidelines National Steering Committee and director of the TeleStroke and Acute Stroke Services at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.  “The full implementation of acute care and secondary prevention recommendations and guidelines is a critical step in saving the lives and improving outcomes of stroke patients.”
 

Get With The Guidelines-Stroke uses the “teachable moment,” the time soon after a patient has had a stroke, when they are most likely to listen to and follow their healthcare professionals’ guidance.  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 or stroke.
 Through Get With The Guidelines-Stroke, customized patient education materials are made available at the point of discharge, based on patients’ individual risk profiles.  The take-away materials are written in an easy-to-understand format and are available in English and Spanish. In addition, the Get With The Guidelines Patient Management Tool gives healthcare providers access to up-to-date cardiovascular and stroke science at the point of care.
 

“The time is right for NUMC to be focused on improving the quality of stroke care by implementing Get With The Guidelines-Stroke.  The number of acute ischemic stroke patients eligible for treatment is expected to grow over the next decade due to increasing stroke incidence and a large aging population,” said Steven J. Walerstein, MD, FACP, executive vice president for medical affairs and medical director for the NuHealth System.
 

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is one of the leading causes of death and serious, long-term disability in the United States.  On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds; someone dies of a stroke every four minutes; and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.

About NuHealth
NuHealth is a Long Island health care organization delivering essential medical care and disease and lifestyle management to everyone at every stage of life.  Also known as Nassau Health Care Corporation, NuHealth is a public benefit corporation managing the operations of Nassau University Medical Center, A. Holly Patterson Extended Care and a network of Family Health Centers that bring primary and specialty care out into the community.  By emphasizing wellness, cultural sensitivity and collaborative efforts with the North Shore-LIJ Health System, NuHealth is working to make good care more affordable and easier to access. For more information about NuHealth or its Centers of Care, visit www.nuhealth.net.

About Get With The Guidelines
Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that empowers healthcare teams to save lives and reduce healthcare costs by helping hospitals follow evidence-based guidelines and recommendations.  For more information, visit heart.org/quality.