Hospital Earns National Recognition for Stroke, Heart Failure Treatment Advances

North Kansas City Hospital’s stroke and heart failure programs received five awards and honors from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. These awards recognize NKCH’s efforts to implement quality improvement measures that ensure stroke and cardiovascular patients receive efficient and coordinated care, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer returns to the hospital.

“North Kansas City Hospital physicians and staff are tireless in their efforts to improve quality of care for our patients,” said NKCH Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Kerri Jenkins. “These internationally recognized AHA/ASA guidelines affirm our dedication to advancing treatment of our heart failure and stroke patients. I commend our team for meeting these stringent diagnosis and treatment achievement measures.”

Stroke Care

• Silver Plus Get With the Guidelines® - Stroke Quality Achievement Award: For ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines; hospitals must achieve 85% or higher adherence to seven GWTG-Stroke achievement indicators for at least 12 consecutive months and 75% or higher adherence to four additional measures
• Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Elite: For meeting 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; the measures call for doing so within 60 minutes or less in 85% of applicable patients
• Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll: For meeting quality measures developed with more than 90% of compliance for 12 consecutive months for the Overall Diabetes Cardiovascular Initiative Composite Score’s 10 criteria

Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the U.S. 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. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and speeding recovery times.

Heart Failure Care

• Bronze Get With the Guidelines - Heart Failure Quality Achievement Award: For ensuring heart failure patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines founded in the latest scientific evidence; the goal is to speed recovery and reduce hospital readmissions for heart failure patients; hospitals must achieve 85% or higher adherence to four GWTG-Heart Failure achievement indicators for at least one quarter of data
• Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll: For improving medication adherence, providing early follow-up care, and coordinating and enhancing patient education; hospitals must achieve 50% or higher adherence to five Target: Heart Failure measures; the goal is to reduce hospital readmissions and help patients improve their quality of life in managing this chronic condition

More than 6.5 million adults in the United States live with heart failure. Many heart failure patients can lead a full, enjoyable life when their condition is managed with proper medications or devices and with healthy lifestyle changes.

Each year, program participants apply for the award recognition by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke and heart failure patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, participants also provide education to patients to help them manage their health and rehabilitation once at home.

Last year, NKCH also earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® and certification as a Comprehensive Cardiac Center and a Primary Stroke Center. Driven by the hospital’s commitment to enhanced patient care and safety, these recognitions distinguish these service lines on a national level.