Posted on Aug 30, 2019 in
MEDICAL FOCUS
Back: Larry Tran, MD; Daisy del Rosario, RN; Tiffany Bell, RN; Charlene Manzano, RN; Diane McGraw, RN; James Ling, MD; Jo Gilbert, RN; Kelly Ward, RN; Toby Yaltho, MD and Jinal Shah, MD. Front: Rita Richards, RN; Carisa Liew, MD; Tricia Lewis, RN and Luz Malit, RN.
Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes Houston Methodist Sugar Land’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.
Houston Methodist Sugar Land 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.
“Houston Methodist Sugar Land 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 James Ling, M.D., medical director of the Houston Methodist Sugar Land Stroke Program. “The tools and resources provided help us track and measure our success in meeting evidenced-based clinical guidelines developed to improve patient outcomes.”
Houston Methodist Sugar Land additionally received the association’s Target Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke.
“We are pleased to recognize Houston Methodist Sugar Land for their commitment to stroke care,” said Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., 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 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, and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.
To learn more about the services offered at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, visit houstonmethodist.org/sugarland or visit Facebook at fb.com/methodistsugarland for the latest news, events and information.
