On August 31, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center announced that it was one of only 167 hospitals nationwide to receive the gold level award for care of heart attack patients. The award –– NCDR ACTION Registry–GWTG (Get with the Guidelines) Gold Performance Achievement Award for 2011 –– was given by the American College of Cardiology Foundation. The quality-improvement program recognizes UCLA’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients, and signifies that the hospital has reached an aggressive goal of treating these patients. “The UCLA team consistently followed national treatment guidelines and met high performance standards necessary for recognition. Following these guidelines helped us offer patients the latest care in a timely manner, including initiation of critical medications and key diagnostic tests,” said Dr. Gregg C. Fonarow, director of the Ahmanson-UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center and ACTION Registry-GWTG Steering Committee Chair.
“Get with the Guidelines” addresses coronary artery disease, heart failure, and stroke. Currently more than 1,600 hospitals participate in the program. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center also received the Gold distinction for coronary artery disease/heart attack care in 2010, 2009 and 2008 and has also been recognized for outstanding care of heart failure and stroke. “The American College of Cardiology Foundation and the American Heart Association commend Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center for its success in implementing standards of care and protocols. The full implementation of acute and secondary prevention guideline-recommended therapy is a critical step in saving the lives and improving outcomes of heart attack patients,” said Dr. James Jollis, ACTION Registry-GWTG Co-Chair and professor of medicine and radiology at Duke University Hospital.
ACTION Registry–GWTG is a partnership between the American College of Cardiology Foundation and the American Heart Association with partnering support from the American College of Emergency Physicians, Society of Chest Pain Centers and the Society of Hospital Medicine. ACTION Registry-GWTG empowers healthcare provider teams to consistently treat heart attack patients according to the most current, science-based guidelines and establishes a national standard for understanding and improving the quality, safety and outcomes of care provided for patients with coronary artery disease, specifically high-risk STEMI and NSTEMI patients.
See Also:
New UCLA heart transplant program now operational
UCLA stem cell research regarding heart regeneration
New UCLA study finds benefits of minimally invasive heart procedure
National study reports 68,000 lives could be saved by heart failure therapies
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