NKCH Recognized Nationally for Commitment to High-Quality Heart, Stroke Care

North Kansas City Hospital and Meritas Health have received six American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines and Mission: Lifeline achievement awards and honors. These honors recognize the organization’s commitment to following up-to-date, research-based guidelines for heart disease and stroke treatment.

By garnering this year’s achievement awards in stroke and heart failure care, the organization met higher standards than last year. “This advanced level of recognition acknowledges our team’s ambition to further advance their commitment to stringent diagnosis and treatment achievement measures – measures that are vital for improving patient care,” said NKCH Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Kerri Jenkins. “Their efforts have led to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer readmissions to the hospital.”

Stroke Care Awards

• Gold Plus Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Quality Achievement Award: For ensuring all stroke patients have access to best practices and life-saving care; hospitals must achieve 85% or higher adherence to all GWTG-Stroke achievement indicators for two or more consecutive 12-month periods and a 75% or higher compliance with five or more of eight GWTG-Stroke quality measures
• Target: Stroke^SM Honor Roll Elite Award: For meeting specific criteria that reduces the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster alteplase, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke
• Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll^TM Award: For ensuring patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke

Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so brain cells die. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and accelerating recovery times.

Heart Failure Care Awards

• Silver Plus Get With The Guidelines® - Heart Failure Quality Achievement Award: For ensuring patient care aligns with the latest research- and evidence-based guidelines; the goal is to increase healthy days at home and reduce hospital readmissions; hospitals must achieve 75% or higher adherence to four GWTG-Heart Failure achievement indicators for 12 consecutive months with four or more of 10 GWTG-Heart Failure quality measures

• Target: Heart Failure^SM Honor Roll Award: For improving medication adherence, providing early follow-up care and coordination, and enhancing patient education; the goal is to further reduce hospital readmissions and help patients improve their quality of life in managing this chronic condition
• Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll^TM Award: For ensuring patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to heart disease or stroke.

About 6.2 million adults in the United States live with heart failure. HF doesn’t mean that the heart has stopped working – it means the heart is having a hard time pumping blood and oxygen throughout the body. While there’s no cure for HF, patients can live a quality life by working with their health care team to create and stick with a plan that may include medication, symptom monitoring and 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 educate patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home.

In 2020, 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.