Crouse Hospital receives Heart Association award

CNY Business Journal (1996+), Aug 04, 2006

SYRACUSE - Crouse Hospital recently received the American Heart Association's "Get With The GuidelinesCoronary Artery Disease (GWTG-CAD)" Initial Performance Achievement Award. The award recognizes Crouse's treatment of patients hospitalized with coronary artery disease.

To receive the award, Crouse Hospital consistently complied for 90 days with the requirements in the GWTG-CAD program. Under the program, patients are started on aggressive risk-reduction therapies such as cholesterol-lowering drugs, aspirin, ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers in the hospital and receive smoking cessation and weight-management counseling and referrals for cardiac rehabilitation before they are discharged. Hospitals that receive the award have demonstrated that during one quarter at least 85 percent of its eligible coronary patients (without contraindications) are discharged following the American Heart Association's recommended treatments.

"The American Heart Association applauds Crouse Hospital for its success in implementing the appropriate standards of care and protocols to reduce the number of recurrent events in coronary patients," said Gray Ellrodt, M.D., the American Heart Association's volunteer chairman for the national "Get With The Guidelines" program. Crouse says it was the only Syracuse hospital - and one of only nine in New York State - to be recognized for its successful compliance.

Projections have shown that implementation of cardiovascular disease secondary prevention guidelines nationwide, as promoted in the GWTG-CAD program, could result in saving more than 80,000 lives each year. In the past year, Crouse's performance in cardiac care has also been highlighted by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and VHA Inc., a national collaborative of 2,000 hospitals.