Desert Care Network Hospitals Receive Multiple American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines®- Achievement Awards

American Heart Association Award recognizes Desert Care Network’s commitment to quality heart failure care

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. September 29, 2020 ― Desert Care Network hospitals have received numerous American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® Achievement Awards. These awards recognize Desert Care Network’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.

• Desert Regional Medical Center has received the 2020 American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Get With the Guidelines® Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll.
• JFK Memorial Hospital has received the 2020 American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Get With the Guidelines® Stroke Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll.
• Hi-Desert Medical Center has received the 2020 American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines®-Heart Failure Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award.

These awards are received for applying the most up-to-date, evidence-based treatment guidelines to improve patient care and outcomes of our communities.

Desert Care Network Hospitals earned the awards by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and aggressive risk-reduction therapies. Before discharge, patients should also receive education on managing their heart failure and overall health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.

“Desert Care Network hospitals are dedicated to improving the quality of care for our patients with heart failure by implementing the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure initiative,” said Desert Care Network CEO Michele Finney. “The tools and resources provided help us track and measure our success in meeting evidenced-based clinical guidelines developed to improve patient outcomes.”

“We are pleased to recognize Desert Care Network hospitals for their commitment to heart failure care,” 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. “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.”

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.