PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Miriam Hospital has received the Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold-Plus Quality Achievement Award for using American Heart Association/American Stroke Association quality improvement measures when treating stroke patients. The distinction, which recognizes evidence-based clinical guidelines, acknowledges The Miriam's commitment to quality, excellent care. The hospital treats more than 600 stroke patients each year and has received the Gold or Gold Plus designation for stroke care every year since 2008.
"Receiving this acknowledgement from the Heart Association/American Stroke Association over the last eight years validates the proven, comprehensive model of care we use when treating our stroke patients," said Thomas F. Tracy, Jr., M.D., chief medical officer and senior vice president of medical affairs at The Miriam Hospital. "Our exemplary team of physicians, nurses, and staff in The Miriam Stroke Center and Emergency Department work together as one to consistently administer the highest level of quality care."
The Get With The Guidelines-Stroke quality program embodies adoption of the latest, research-based treatment guidelines intended to speed recovery and reduce death and disability among stroke patients. In receiving the award, The Miriam met specific quality achievement measures for the rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients. These measures include achieving and sustaining 85 percent or higher adherence to specific evidence-based guidelines over 24 consecutive months and aggressively using medications and risk-reduction therapies aimed at reducing death and disability and improving stroke patients' lives.
The Miriam has also implemented other Get With The Guidelines-Stroke prevention measures, including customized education materials that encourage stroke patients to manage their risk factors, recognize stroke warning signs, and ensure they take medications appropriately. The Stroke Center at The Miriam Hospital was the first in Rhode Island to be designated as a Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission and the only facility in the state to be re-certified four times.
"We are pleased to recognize The Miriam for their commitment and dedication to stroke care," said Deepak L. Bhatt, M.D., M.P.H., national chairman of the Get With The Guidelines steering committee and executive director of Interventional Cardiovascular Programs at Brigham and Women's Hospital and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. "Studies have shown that hospitals that consistently follow Get With The Guidelines quality improvement measures can reduce patients' length of stays and 30-day readmission rates and reduce disparity gaps in care."
According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the number four cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds; someone dies of a stroke every four minutes; and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.
About The Miriam Hospital
The Miriam Hospital is a 247-bed, not-for-profit teaching hospital affiliated with The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. It offers expertise in cardiology, oncology, orthopedics, men's health, and minimally invasive surgery and is home to the state's first Joint Commission-certified Stroke Center and robotic surgery program. The hospital, which received more than $23 million in external research funding last year, is nationally known for its HIV/AIDS and behavioral and preventive medicine research, including weight control, physical activity and smoking cessation. The Miriam Hospital has been awarded Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Services four times and is a founding member of the Lifespan health system. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@MiriamHospital) and Pinterest.
About Get With The Guidelines
Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 4 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org/quality or heart.org/myhealthcare.