UNC Lenoir Health Care honored with 2020 recognition awards

UNC Lenoir Health Care has received recognition for achievement with Get With The Guidelines® in the following categories of hospital care: Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus with Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll Achievement Award; Get With The Guidelines®-Heart Failure Gold Achievement Award; and Get With The Guidelines®-Resuscitation Silver Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association for the treatment of patients in the hospital.

UNC Lenoir Health Care has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence. UNC Lenoir Health Care earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period.

These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. Before discharge, patients should also receive education on managing their health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions

UNC Lenoir received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Heart Failure Gold Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to ensuring heart failure patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines founded in the latest scientific evidence. The goal is speeding recovery and reducing hospital readmissions for heart failure patients.

UNC Lenoir Health Care also received the Get With The Guidelines®-Resuscitation Silver Award for meeting specific measures in treating adult patients who suffer in-hospital cardiac arrests in the hospital. To receive this award a hospital must comply with the quality measures for one year.

“UNC Lenoir Health Care is dedicated to helping our patients have the best possible outcome and implementing the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Resuscitation program will help us accomplish this by making it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis,” said Robert A. Enders, Jr., President and CEO.

“We are pleased to recognize UNC Lenoir Health Care for their commitment in following these guidelines,” said 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. “Shortening the time to effective resuscitation and maximizing post-resuscitation care is critical to patient survival.”

According to the American Heart Association, more than 6.5 million adults in the United States are living with heart failure. Many heart failure patients can lead a full, enjoyable life when their condition is managed with proper medications or devices and with healthy lifestyle changes. Dr. Schwamm also states, “Research has shown that hospitals adhering to clinical measures through the Get With The Guidelines quality improvement initiative can often see fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates.”