MVHS receives stroke achievement award

The Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get with the Guidelines - Stroke Gold Plus with Honor Roll quality achievement award for the 10th consecutive year.

The award recognizes the hospital's commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.

MVHS earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients.

Before discharge, patients should also receive education on managing their health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.

"MVHS is dedicated to improving the quality of care for our stroke patients by implementing the American Heart Association's Get with the Guidelines-Stroke initiative," said Varun Reddy, MVHS Stroke Program director. "The tools and resources provided help us track and measure our success in meeting evidenced-based clinical guidelines developed to improve patient outcomes."

This year, the program also received the Association's Target: Type 2 DiabetesSM Honor Roll award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed with more than 90 percent of compliance for 12 consecutive months for the "Overall Diabetes Cardiovascular Initiative Composite Score."

"We are pleased to recognize MVHS for its commitment to stroke care," said Lee H. Schwamm, MD, 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/American Stroke Association, stroke is the number five cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.

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