Heart, Stroke Associations Tout NARH in Magazine Ad
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — North Adams Regional Hospital is one of a group of select hospitals in the United States recognized by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association in an ad in U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Hospitals" issue.The both associations recognize NARH and 569 other hospitals in the nation for their performance achievement in cardiac and stroke patient care. NARH won gold and silver awards from the AHA's Get With the Guidelines program this year. Fewer than 10 percent of registered hospitals in the U.S. earned recognition.
The GWTG program is a quality-improvement program that helps hospitals ensure that patients consistently receive cardiac and stroke care in accordance with the most up-to-date guidelines and recommendations.
Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association, congratulated NARH and its staff in a letter to Richard Palmisano, president and CEO of Northern Berkshire Healthcare.
GWTG has three modules to help hospitals use evidence-based guidelines to treat patients with coronary artery disease, stroke and/or heart failure. Hospitals that continually meet or exceed the nationally accepted standards, or guidelines, improve their quality patient care by turning guidelines into lifelines.
Upon meeting criteria specific to each module, hospitals are recognized for performance achievement if at least 85 percent of their cardiac or stroke patients (without contraindications) are treated and discharged according to the American Heart and Stroke associations' guidelines and recommendations.
The ad recognizes North Adams Regional Hospital’s commitment and success in performance achievement.
"At North Adams Regional Hospital we are committed to making our patient care for heart and stroke patients among the best in the country, and the ... GWTG program is helping us accomplish that. The program makes it easier for our professionals to improve the quality of care and long-term outcomes of our cardiac patients,” said Kate Henault, director of critical care at NARH.
