The Nebraska Medical Center has been recognized by the American Heart Association/American
Stroke Association Get With The Guidelines(SM) (GWTG) program for the second year
in a row for following evidence-based guidelines for treating patients with stroke.
The Nebraska Medical Center received the Gold (Sustained) Performance Achievement
Award for its performance in treating stroke patients using the program. Last year,
the medical center received the Silver Award.
The Nebraska Medical Center is one of 53 hospitals being recognized with the Gold
(Sustained) Performance Achievement Award for stroke care by the American Heart
Association/American Stroke Association GWTG program in an advertisement in the
July 21 “America’s Best Hospitals” issue of US News & World Report.
GWTG is a hospital based quality-improvement program designed to ensure that hospitals
consistently care for cardiac and stroke patients following the most up-to-date
guidelines and recommendations. The program provides three modules that address
coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke. Currently more than 1,450 hospitals
use one or more GWTG modules.
Hospitals receiving the Get With The Guidelines Gold (Sustained) Performance Achievement
Award for stroke care have reached an aggressive goal of treating stroke patients
with 85 percent or higher compliance to core standard levels of care as outlined
by the association for 24 consecutive months.
“This accomplishment signifies that The Nebraska Medical Center has consistently
committed to and successfully implemented accepted standards, or guidelines, to
improve quality patient care by turning guidelines into lifelines,” said Pierre
Fayad, M.D., Director of the Stroke Center at The Nebraska Medical Center and Reynolds
Centennial Professor & Chairman of Neurological Sciences at UNMC. “Rapid assessment,
treatment and intensive acute care is vital for stroke patients to help them gain
back as much of their lives as possible and prevent complications.”
The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s advertisement recognizes
The Nebraska Medical Center’s commitment and success in performance achievement.
“The American Heart Association is pleased to recognize its top Get With The Guidelines
participants,” said Gregg C Fonarow, M.D., national chairman, Get With The Guidelines
steering committee and director, Ahmanson-UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center. “The program
makes it easier for hospitals like The Nebraska Medical Center to provide appropriate
evidence-based care and ultimately improve the quality of life and help reduce the
number of deaths in these heart and stroke patients.”
Dr. Fayad adds that the GWTG program addresses the important element of time. “With
a stroke, time lost is brain lost,” said Dr. Fayad. The Nebraska Medical Center
has developed a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke
patients admitted through the emergency department or transferred from other hospitals.
The medical center ensures the prompt availability and coordination of medical professionals,
personnel and equipment 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Highlights of its expertise
include: rapid brain and blood vessel imaging; neurologists, neurosurgeons, emergency
physicians, radiologists and pharmacists available to conduct acute patient evaluations;
and use of clot-busting medications and interventional clot removal techniques when
appropriate.
Get With the Guidelines also helps ensure that the patients treated and discharged
receive quality care in accordance with guidelines to reduce the risk of a second
stroke. Patients who have had a stroke are at highest risk for another stroke. According
to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, each year about 700,000
people suffer a stroke; 200,000 of which are second strokes. But studies show that
patients who are taught how to manage their risk factors while still in the hospital
reduce their risk of a second stroke.
The stroke center at The Nebraska Medical Center has also achieved recognitions
from other organizations. The Nebraska Medical Center was Nebraska’s first and Omaha’s
only stroke center to receive the “Gold Seal of Approval” from the Joint Commission
for its dedication to the prevention and management of stroke.
About GWTG: Get With The Guidelines(SM) (GWTG) is the American Heart Association/
American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that empowers
healthcare teams to save lives and reduce healthcare costs by helping hospitals
follow evidence-based guidelines and recommendations. Experience has shown that
80,000 lives could be saved annually if the coronary artery disease (GWTG-CAD) module
alone was implemented nationwide. For more information, visit americanheart.org/getwiththeguidelines.