Hospital's Treatment of Coronary Artery Disease Earns Gold Performance Award

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(Free-Press-Release.com) August 19, 2010 -- In recognition of its compliance with best-practice clinical guidelines in cardiac care, South Nassau Communities Hospital has been awarded a Gold Performance Achievement Award in Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The GuidelinesSM (GWTG) program. This marks the second consecutive year that South Nassau has earned the Gold Performance Achievement Award for achieving high standards in the treatment of CAD.

Ruth Ragusa, RN, vice president for organizational effectiveness for South Nassau, said, “Earning a Gold Performance Award again is testimony that we understand that excellence is not a one time act, it is something that we do repeatedly. We will not relent in our goal to perform at 100%, 100% of the time.”

The GWTG program is a quality-improvement program that helps hospitals provide cardiac and stroke care in accordance with the most up-to-date guidelines and recommendations. Hospitals that continually meet or exceed the nationally accepted standards, or guidelines, improve their quality patient care by turning guidelines into “lifelines”. Upon meeting specific criteria, hospitals are recognized for performance achievement if at least 85 percent of their cardiac or stroke patients are treated and discharged according to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s guidelines and recommendations.

Research has shown that 80,000 lives can be saved annually if the program’s recommended guidelines for coronary artery disease are implemented nationwide. GWTG was the first hospital-based program to receive the prestigious Innovation in Prevention Award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2004. Presently, nearly 2,000 hospitals use one or more GWTG modules. For more information, visit americanheart.org/getwiththeguidelines.

“While this honor is a reflection of South Nassau’s consistency in achieving high standards in the treatment of coronary artery disease, what it means to the residents and communities we serve is that in the event you, a loved one or friend need expert, advanced, potentially life-saving cardiac care, you need look no further than your South Nassau,” said Jason Freeman, MD, FACC, director of interventional cardiology.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the age-adjusted rate of deaths attributed to heart disease is down 25.8 percent since 1999. According to the American Heart Association, the main factors that have helped reduce the rate of deaths caused by heart disease include the establishment of guidelines for the treatment and prevention of heart attacks; improvements in medications and in technology; and the timely delivery of appropriate treatments, such as angioplasty or thrombolysis to open blocked coronary arteries.

South Nassau’s Center for Cardiovascular Health is built on those factors. The center treats patients with the combination of advanced technologies and best practices and is equipped with the latest advancements in cardiac digital imaging systems. Its echocardiography lab is accredited by the Intersocietal Commission for Accreditation of Echocardiography (ICAEL). The prestigious accreditation is awarded in recognition of a commitment to quality testing for the diagnosis of heart disease and is based on the quality and critical elements of the echocardiography laboratory.

The center performs a wide range of coronary and peripheral interventional procedures, including balloon angioplasty, stenting, and thrombolytic therapy. When providing balloon angioplasty in an emergency, the center consistently achieves a door-to-balloon-time of approximately 70 minutes, which is 20 minutes faster than the medically recommended door-to-balloon time benchmark of 90 minutes.

American Heart Association     angioplasty     cardiologist     cardiology     cardiovascular     coronary artery disease     heart attack     hospital