American Heart Association awards underscore Beebe’s commitment to quality
Beebe Healthcare recently announced it has earned five Get With The Guidelines quality awards from the American Heart Association. This national program annually recognizes hospitals and healthcare systems that are continuously advancing and improving care for cardiovascular and stroke patients.
Get With The Guidelines awards are presented to hospitals across the U.S. that integrate research and evidence-based guidelines into their practice environments with data that demonstrates positive impact on patient outcomes. The five awards earned by Beebe in 2024 underscore the organization’s commitment to quality and safety, as well as growth of its cardiovascular and stroke programs.
Beebe earned Get With The Guidelines - Heart Failure Gold Plus status along with honor roll mentions for targeting heart failure and type 2 diabetes. This award is presented to hospitals that demonstrate consistent adherence to the latest scientific treatment guidelines when caring for patients with heart failure. Reduction in 30-day readmissions is the primary criteria point, along with demonstrated improvements in other areas that boost patient clinical outcomes.
The next recognition for Get With The Guidelines - Stroke Gold Plus also included an honor roll mention for targeting type 2 diabetes. This quality achievement is awarded for Beebe’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability. Beebe demonstrates continuous growth and development of its stroke care programs. Integration of new approaches and processes that expedite the start of care procedures from the time patients arrive at the hospital is key criteria for hospitals that are considered for this award.
The Get With The Guidelines - Coronary Artery Disease STEMI Receiving Center Gold Plus with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award recognizes a health system’s commitment to offering rapid, research-based care to people experiencing a specific type of heart attack known as an ST elevation myocardial infarction, aka STEMI, known to be more severe and dangerous than other types of heart attacks. Beebe achieved key quality marks for acute myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease and chest pain quality improvements. Routing patients for an electrocardiogram within 10 minutes of arrival, prompt medication administration, efficient composite score calculations, and the establishment of defined processes for transfer and follow-up care are some of the key criteria points evaluated.
The Get With The Guidelines - Rural Coronary Artery Disease STEMI Silver award is presented to hospitals that serve rural areas, recognizing that varied patient care dynamics must be accounted for as data is tracked and analyzed. It requires a compliance rate of 75 percent or higher over a period of 12 months, with a focus on the diabetic population.
The fifth recognition, Get With The Guidelines - Rural Coronary Artery Disease NSTE-ACS Bronze award, is presented to hospitals that document a compliance rate of 75 percent or better as composite scores are calculated each quarter for Non ST-Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome. It acknowledges efficient approaches to getting patients to electrocardiogram, the establishment of risk stratification procedures, and defined patient follow-up care protocols in line with calculated risk factors.
Beebe’s Get With The Guidelines awards come at a time when the hospital is earning various accolades for its commitments to clinical program growth as well as quality and safety. In July, Beebe announced that it is one of 466 health systems nationwide to be designated as a Best Regional Hospital by U.S. News & World Report, with seven areas of clinical specialty named to the high-performing list, including heart attack care. At the same time, the hospital announced that its structural heart team completed its 200th Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement procedure.
“Meeting or exceeding quality benchmarks is a key priority in all that we do,” said Thomas Trobiano, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, MAPC, executive director of cardiovascular and neuroscience services at Beebe Healthcare. “We are growing our cardiovascular and stroke programs thoughtfully, and in a way that integrates research and evidenced-based practices so that we can achieve the best possible clinical outcomes for every patient. Our Get With The Guidelines recognitions speak volumes about the level of quality care available for our cardiovascular and stroke patients. They also help draw a picture of the caliber of our clinical care providers and the excellence they bring into their day-to-day work. We are incredibly proud.”
For more information about Beebe Healthcare, go to beebehealthcare.org.
