Tri-City Medical Center is the only medical center in San Diego county, and one of only 12 in the nation to receive Gold Plus Awards in both heart failure and stroke care.
Oceanside, Ca — Tri-City Medical Center has received the Get With The Guidelines®–Heart Failure Gold-Plus Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Foundation secondary prevention guidelines for heart failure patients. The medical center was the only one in San Diego to receive Quality Achievement Award recognition in both heart failure and stroke care.
Get With The Guidelines–Heart Failure is a quality improvement program that helps hospital teams provide the most up-to-date, research-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing hospital readmissions for heart failure patients.
Tri-City Medical Center earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include proper use of medications and aggressive risk-reduction therapies such as cholesterol-lowering drugs, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, aspirin, diuretics and anticoagulants while patients are in the hospital. Before patients are discharged, they also receive education on managing their heart failure and overall health, as well as referrals for cardiac rehabilitation.
“We’re truly honored to receive this recognition from the American Heart Association,” said Tri-City Medical Center Interim CEO Casey Fatch. “For more than four years, Tri-City Medical Center has dedicated itself to improving the quality of care for our heart failure patients, and has implemented a new standard of heart health and wellness to North San Diego County and the entire region. Implementing the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines–Heart Failure program helps us to maintain our vision by tracking and measuring our success in meeting internationally-respected guidelines.”
Tri-City Medical Center cardiovascular surgeon, Theodore Folkerth, M.D., noted, “The Medical Center’s series of advanced heart screenings can discover life threatening issues before they become real problems. We offer a streamlined, efficient, collaborative, patient-focused environment. The recognition by the American Heart Association confirms the success of our program and the dedication of our physicians and staff to providing the highest level of cardiac care for our patients.”
“We are pleased to recognize Tri-City Medical Center for its commitment to heart failure and stroke care,” said Deepak L. Bhatt, M.D., M.P.H., national chairman of the Get With The Guidelines steering committee and Executive Director of Interventional Cardiovascular Programs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. “Studies have shown that hospitals that consistently follow Get With The Guidelines quality improvement measures can reduce patients’ length of stays and 30-day readmission rates and also reduce disparity gaps in care.”
According to the American Heart Association, about 5.1 million people suffer from heart failure. Each year, 670,000 new cases are diagnosed and more than 275,000 people will die of heart failure. However, many heart failure patients can lead a full life when their condition is managed with proper medications and devices and with healthy lifestyle changes.
About Tri-City Medical Center
Tri-City Medical Center has served its community for more than half a century and is a Gold Seal- approved full service, acute- care hospital with two advanced institutes and over 500 physicians practicing in 60 specialties. Tri-City Medical Center has become the county’s leader in robotic and minimally invasive surgical technologies, including being the exclusive county-wide provider for the Mazor Renaissance Surgical Guidance System for surgical repair of spinal deformities, injuries and rehabilitation. Tri-City Medical Center is also a nationwide destination for hip preservation surgery. Tri-City Medical Center also has the only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in North San Diego County, now with the NICView System, a password-protected webcam system that allows parents and relatives to remotely view their newest family member. Tri-City Medical Center is recognized as an innovator in medical treatments, research, technology and care delivery as well as an anchor of health in the country.
Tri-City Medical Center’s Cardiovascular Health Institute provides a new standard of heart health and wellness to North San Diego County and the entire region.
For more information about Tri-City Medical Center and Tri-City Healthcare District, please visit www.tricitymed.org
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 4 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org/quality or heart.org/myhealthcare.
