(LARGO, FL – MAY 2017) – Today at Largo Medical Center’s 9th Annual Stroke Smart event, hospital CEO, Anthony Degina, was presented with not one but three quality accolades from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.
The awards include:
• the Get With The Guidelines®-AFIB Gold Quality Achievement Award – ONLY GOLD QUALITY AWARD IN TAMPA BAY
• the Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award
• and the Mission: Lifeline STEMI Receiving Center Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award
“Largo Medical Center is dedicated to improving the quality of care for our heart and stroke patients,” said Anthony Degina, Chief Executive Officer, Largo Medical Center. “Implementing the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines programs helps us accomplish this goal by tracking and measuring our success in meeting internationally-respected clinical guidelines.”
The Get With The Guidelines®-AFIB Gold Quality Achievement Award is received for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology/Heart Rhythm Society guidelines for the management of patients with atrial fibrillation. The Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award recognizes the hospital’s commitment and success in ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence. The Mission: Lifeline STEMI Receiving Center Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award is for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association for the treatment of patients who suffer severe heart attacks.
“We are pleased to recognize the staff and physicians at Largo Medical Center for their commitment to the care of heart and stroke patients,” said Paul Heidenreich, M.D., M.S., national chairman of the Get With The Guidelines Steering Committee and Professor of Medicine at Stanford University. “Research has shown there are benefits to patients who are treated at hospitals that have adopted the Get With The Guidelines program. Get With The Guidelines research has demonstrated the impact of lowering 30-day readmissions and reducing mortality rates.”
According to the American Heart Association, more than 2.7 million adults suffer from atrial fibrillation. The condition accounts for about one-third of hospitalizations for cardiac rhythm disturbance and is associated with a five-fold increase risk of stroke. Proper treatment of atrial fibrillation can reduce these risks. The Association reports stroke is the No. 5 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, someone dies of a stroke every four minutes, and nearly 800,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.
To learn more about these awards or for an interview with Anthony Degina, CEO, Largo Medical Center, please contact Tammy Robiconti, Director of Marketing and Public Relations at 727-348-1896 or Tammy.Robiconti@HCAHealthcare.com.
About Largo Medical Center
Largo Medical Center is a 425-bed statutory teaching hospital serving Pinellas County from three campuses. The hospital provides Atrial Fibrillation Care at the AFib & Heart Rhythm Centers, Behavioral Healthcare, Breast Healthcare at the Florida Breast Institute, Cardiovascular Services, Clinical Research, Company Care Occupational Healthcare, Emergency Care at 3 campuses, H2U health and wellness program, Hepatobiliary Care at The Hepatobiliary Center, Imaging and Diagnostic Services, Kidney Transplants at the Transplant Institute of Florida, Limb Saving at the Florida Limb Saving Institute, Orthopedic Care at the Florida Orthopedic Pavilion, Inpatient, Outpatient and Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation, Palliative Care, Robotic Surgery, Sports Medicine Care with the Florida Sports Medicine Center, Spine and Neurologic Care at the Florida Spine & Neuro Center, Surgical Weight Loss/Bariatric Surgery at the Florida Bariatric Centers and Wound Care with Hyperbaric Medicine. Largo Medical Center has an American Osteopathic Association Accredited Graduate Medical Education program that is the West Coast Academic Center for NOVA Southeastern University and is affiliated with the USF Morsani College of Medicine. The hospital is recognized by The Joint Commission as a Top Performer on Key Quality Measures, is a Certified Advanced Heart Failure Center and an Advanced Primary Stroke Center. We have an accredited AFib Center, Breast Center, Cancer Care program, Chest Pain Center with PCI, Inpatient Rehabilitation program and Bariatric/Surgical Weight Loss program. Learn more at LargoMedical.com. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.
About Get With The Guidelines
Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program provides hospitals with the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 6 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.