RWJBarnabas Health announced several of its facilities have been recognized by The American Heart Association (AHA)/American Stroke Association for cardiac and stroke care earning a spot on the 2020 Get With The Guidelines awards list in the stroke, heart failure and resuscitation categories.
The awards recognize each hospitals’ commitment to ensuring stroke and heart failure patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset in Somerville, Jersey City Medical Center in Jersey City and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick were honored with the Stroke Gold Plus award with Honor Roll mention.
Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch was recognized with the Heart Failure Gold Plus award and Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark was recognized with the Resuscitation Gold Audit award.
The RWJBarnabas Health facilities earned the Get with The Guidelines awards by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure and stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke and heart treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for patients. As part of the criteria, before discharge, patients were required to receive education on managing their overall health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.
“The recognition from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association is a testament and dedication to the interdisciplinary teamwork throughout RWJBarnabas Health,” said James Andrews, MHL, senior vice president, Cardiac and Neurological Services, RWJBarnabas Health. “The framework developed to achieve these awards allow us to track and measure quality, exceed evidenced-based clinical guidelines, and provide superior patient outcomes. Receiving this recognition reflects positively on the clinicians and staff that made it happen as well as the overall mission of RWJBarnabas Health to deliver quality and compassionate care for each patient we serve. The teams in Somerset, Jersey City, New Brunswick, Monmouth, Newark and across our medical group allow the health system as a whole to truly stand behind that mission.”
According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death, a leading cause of adult disability in the United States and more than 6.5 million adults in the United States are living with heart failure. 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. However, both heart failure patients and stroke patients can lead a full, enjoyable life when their conditions are managed with proper medications or devices and with healthy lifestyle changes.
For more information or to make an appointment with one of New Jersey’s top cardiac specialists, visit rwjbh.org/heart.
- This article was submitted by RWJBarnabas Health