The American Heart Association presents Get With The Guidelines® – Heart Failure Gold Plus award for proven dedication to ensuring all heart failure patients have access to best practices and life-saving care
ST PETERSBURG, FLA (JULY 14, 2023) — HCA Florida Northside Hospital has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Heart Failure Gold Plus quality achievement award for its commitment to improving outcomes for patients with heart failure.
“I am so proud of our dedicated teams who provide heart failure patients with an outstanding inpatient experience that often extends to our highly regarded outpatient program at the Heart Failure and Valve Clinic,” said Valerie Powell-Stafford, CEO HCA Florida Northside Hospital. “These caregivers are making a difference in the lives of our patients by following the latest treatment guidelines, coaching and supporting patients through their health journey.”
About 6 million U.S. adults are living with heart failure, a number that is expected to increase to more than 8 million by 2030.[1] Despite the name, the diagnosis doesn’t mean that the heart has stopped working – it means the heart is having a hard time pumping blood and oxygen throughout the body. While there’s no cure, patients can live a quality life by working with their health care team to create and stick with a plan that may include medication, symptom monitoring and lifestyle changes.
The Get With The Guidelines – Heart Failure quality achievement award is earned by hospitals that demonstrate a commitment to treating patients according to the most up-to-date guidelines as outlined by the American Heart Association. Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research- and evidence-based guidelines. The program aims to increasing healthy days at home and reduce hospital readmissions for heart failure patients.
Each year, program participants qualify for the award recognition by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for HF patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Get With The Guidelines participants also provide education to patients to help them manage their HF at home.
“We are pleased to recognize the leaders and teams at HCA Florida Northside Hospital for a strong commitment to caring for people with heart failure,” said Clyde W. Yancy, M.D., MSc, MACC, FAHA, MACP, FHFSA, national chairperson of the American Heart Association Heart Failure systems of care advisory group and chief, division of cardiology at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine. “Hospitals that participate in Get With The Guidelines quality improvement programs often see better patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates – a win for health care systems, families and communities.”
HCA Florida Northside Hospital additionally received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke – SILVER PLUS with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite plus and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll™ awards. Northside Hospital is a Comprehensive Stroke Center providing the latest treatments and technologies for stroke patients. The Target: Type 2 Diabetes program helps to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to heart disease or stroke.
###
About HCA Florida Northside Hospital
Serving the community since 1976, HCA Florida Northside Hospital is a 288-bed hospital, offering a full range of services including comprehensive and interventional stroke care, preventative and corrective cardiac care, full-service orthopedic and spine treatment an ER 24/7®, and general surgery. As one of the first hospitals in the area to achieve Atrial Fibrillation Certification (SCPC), our technologically advanced hospital allows our highly skilled physicians, nursing, and caregivers to serve our growing community. HCA Florida Northside Hospital is the first nationally recognized Comprehensive Stroke Center in Pinellas County and nationally recognized for quality and safety by earning an ‘A’ Patient Safety grade from the Leapfrog Group Spring 2020 and 2021. Our employees voted us a Tampa Bay Times Top Workplace in 2020. With campus-based specialized services including the Tampa Bay Heart Institute and the Neuroscience Institute for Interventional Neuroradiology and neurologic care, HCA Florida Northside Hospital continues to enhance and expand its services to better serve the community.
About Get With The Guidelines®
Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that 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 12 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.