Three Hawai‘i Pacific Health hospitals earn multiple achievement awards from the American Heart Association

Awards demonstrate Hawai‘i Pacific Health’s commitment to quality care for heart failure and stroke patients

Pali Momi Medical Center, Straub Clinic and Hospital, and Wilcox Memorial Hospital have all been awarded the Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Gold Award from the American Heart Association (AHA).  This award recognizes hospitals who have met the highest level of standards for the treatment of coronary artery disease and were recognized recently in the July 27, 2010 U.S. News and World Report’s 2010 Best Hospitals edition.

“As the state’s largest health care provider, Hawai‘i Pacific Health is a proud recipient of these awards from the American Heart Association,” said Melinda Ashton, M.D., vice president of patient safety and quality service.  “Our medical professionals are committed to improving the quality of care for our patients and we fully support the use of appropriate evidence-based care and protocols that reduce disability and death and improve the quality of life for our patients.”

Additionally, Pali Momi Medical Center has earned the Get With The Guidelines® Heart Failure Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award from the American Heart Association for its excellence in the treatment of patients with heart failure.  Pali Momi is the first hospital in the state of Hawai‘i to earn this award.

Under Get With The Guidelines® Heart Failure, heart failure patients are started on risk reduction therapies such as cholesterol-lowering drugs, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, aspirin, diuretics, and anticoagulants in the hospital.

“We are honored to be the first hospital in the state to earn this award,” said Jen Chahanovich, chief operating officer. “Pali Momi Medical Center is dedicated to being among the top hospitals nationwide in the care of heart failure. Get With The Guidelines® Heart Failure program is helping us accomplish this goal by making it easier for our professionals to improve the long-term outcome for our patients.”

This award is given to hospitals that achieve 85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines® Heart Failure Performance Achievement indicators for two or more consecutive 12-month intervals and have achieved 75 percent or higher compliance with four of nine Get With The Guidelines® Heart Failure Quality Measures to improve quality of patient care and outcomes.

Straub Clinic and Hospital and Wilcox Memorial Hospital also received recognition for their efforts, earning the AHA Silver Achievement Award for Heart Failure. 

In addition, Wilcox Memorial Hospital earned the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® Stroke Silver Performance Achievement Award, recognizing their commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that patients receive treatment according to nationally accepted standards and recommendations.

According to the American Heart Association, about 5.7 million people suffer from heart failure.  Statistics also show that, each year, 670,000 new cases are diagnosed and more than 292,200 people will die of heart failure.  Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that empowers healthcare teams to save lives and reduce healthcare costs by helping hospitals follow evidence-based guidelines and recommendations.  For more information, visit heart.org/quality.