Albany Memorial Hospital Receives GWTG Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award

Albany Memorial Hospital, an affiliate of St. Peter’s Health Partners, has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.

Albany Memorial Hospital earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. Before discharge, patients should also receive education on managing their health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.

“Our team of expert doctors, nurses, and ancillary support staff is passionate about improving the quality of care for our stroke patients,” said Mike Finegan, president of Acute Care at St. Peter’s Health Partners. “We have found the tools and resources provided by the Get With The Guidelines initiative to be extremely beneficial in helping us track and measure our success. Through evidence-based clinical guidelines, we have improved patient outcomes.”

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. 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.

Recognizing the tremendous impact of stroke and heart disease, Albany Memorial Hospital has created comprehensive programs focusing on education, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. The hospital provides a full range of diagnostic tests to detect heart disease and stroke at the earliest stage possible, in a supportive, friendly environment.

Learn more about stroke care at Albany Memorial Hospital at: http://www.sphp.com/cardiac-amh