Lahey Hospital & Medical Center earns national recognition for efforts to improve cardiovascular treatment

The American Heart Association presents multiple Achievement Awards for implementation of quality care for patients

Burlington, Mass. – Lahey Hospital & Medical Center (LHMC) has received four American Heart Association Achievement Awards for implementing quality improvement measures that ensure cardiovascular patients receive efficient and coordinated care, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer returns to the hospital.

Nearly half of all adults in the U.S. have experienced some form of cardiovascular disease – including heart attack, stroke and heart failure. For patients with conditions that are severe enough to be transported or admitted to a hospital, time is critical.

The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline and Get With The Guidelines programs help reduce barriers to prompt treatment for cardiovascular events. As a participant in Get With The Guidelines programs, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center applied for the award recognitions by demonstrating how their organization has committed to improving quality care for patients.

“Patient safety and quality is at the core of everything we do at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center and we are honored to be recognized by the American Heart Association for our commitment to providing our patients who experience cardiovascular events the best possible care,” said Andrew G. Villanueva, MD, Chief Quality Officer, LHMC. “The Mission: Lifeline and Get With The Guidelines programs help improve patient outcomes by promoting adherence to the latest scientific treatment protocols.”

This year, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center received the following Achievement Awards:

• Target: Stroke Honor Roll Advanced Therapy– These hospitals, in addition to their achievement of Gold or Silver, are recognized for Door to Device times in at least 50% of applicable patients within 90 minutes for direct arriving and within 60 minutes for transfers.
• Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll– A national honor roll program for hospitals participating in Get With The Guidelines (HF, Stroke) to reinforce evidence-based guidelines with hospitals that qualify for a Silver level or higher achievement award in the related Get With The Guidelines module. These hospitals must be able to demonstrate at least 90% compliance for 12 consecutive months (calendar year) for the “Overall Diabetes Cardiovascular Initiative Composite Score” measure in the selected module.
• Target: Stroke Honor Roll – Elite– These hospitals, in addition to their achievement of Gold or Silver, are recognized for 75% or higher performance in Time to IV thrombolytic therapy in 60 minutes or less.
• Get With The Guidelines: Gold Plus Achievement– These hospitals are recognized for two or more consecutive calendar years of 85% or higher adherence on all achievement measures applicable and 75% or higher adherence with additional select quality measures in stroke.

“We are pleased to recognize Lahey Hospital & Medical Center for their commitment to cardiovascular care,” said Lee H. Schwamm, MD, FAHA, FAAN, FANA, national chairperson of the American Heart Association’s Quality Oversight Committee and Vice President of Virtual Care, Director of the Center for Telehealth, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. “Research has shown that hospitals adhering to clinical measures through the American Heart Association’s quality improvement programs often see fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates.”