Mercy Medical Center earns AHA/ASA’s 2007 Gold Performance Achievement Award
Mercy Medical Center is one of the 36 hospitals nationally – and the only health-care facility in Iowa -- to receive the 2007 Gold Achievement Award for its performance in the Get With The Guidelines Quality Initiative.SM Mercy is listed in the annual "Best Hospitals" issue of U.S. News & World Report that was released this week.. The award recognizes success in implementing Get With The Guidelines (GWTG), an in-hospital quality-improvement program from the American Heart Association (AHA) and American Stroke Association (ASA).
Hospitals must have completed two or more years of participation at 85% or higher adherence to all performance measures to receive the Gold Award. The GWTG program helps ensure that the hospital’s treatment of coronary artery disease, heart failure or stroke is aligned with the most current scientific guidelines and evidence-based treatments and therapies.
The GWTG program saves more than an estimated 80,000 people annually, according to the AHA website. There are three modules of the program:
- Get With The Guidelines – Coronary Artery Disease
- Get With The Guidelines – Stroke
- Get With The Guidelines – Heart Failure
Mercy received recognition for outstanding achievement in all three areas.
Anne Nugent, Service Line Administrator for Heart, Lung and Vascular Services, Mercy Medical Center , says, “The care our patients receive is our number one priority. Receiving this award is a perfect example of what we mean by The Mercy Touch. Having Mercy listed in U.S. News and World Report is a great way to get the word out to the community that Mercy offers the highest quality of heart care possible.”
Since 2000, more than 1,330 U.S. hospitals have implemented GWTG. Hospitals that use GWTG often report improved patient outcomes and a reduction in recurring events.
