Get with the Guidelines

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEWTON-WELLESLEY HOSPITAL RECEIVES RECOGNITION FOR IMPLEMENTING
HIGHER STANDARD OF CARE FOR HEART DISEASE AND STROKE PATIENTS

NEWTON, Mass. (July 28, 2009) — Newton-Wellesley Hospital was recently recognized for its achievement in implementing the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Get With The GuidelinesSM for coronary artery disease, stroke and heart failure. The Hospital received the Gold Performance Achievement Award and has maintained this performance level for two years or more. Newton-Wellesley is the only hospital in Eastern Massachusetts that has been recognized with Gold in all three clinical areas.

“We are dedicated to making our care for heart disease and stroke patients among the best in the country. We will continue in our efforts to build off the success achieved with continued implementation of this valuable program,” said Joel Rubenstein, MD, Chief of Cardiology, Newton-Wellesley Hospital. “Get With The Guidelines makes it easier for our professionals to improve the long-term outcomes of our cardiac and stroke patients, and we are pleased to be recognized for our dedication and achievements.”

Get With the Guidelines (GWTG) helps ensure that patients treated and discharged receive quality care in accordance with guidelines that will reduce the risk of secondary events. It takes advantage of the “teachable moment,” the time soon after a heart attack or stroke, when patients are most likely to listen to their healthcare professionals’ treatment recommendations. Studies demonstrate that patients who are taught how to manage their risk factors while still in the hospital reduce their risk of a second heart attack or stroke.

This accomplishment signifies that Newton-Wellesley Hospital has reached an aggressive goal of treating coronary artery disease, stroke and heart failure patients with at least 85 percent compliance to core standard levels of care outlined by the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology secondary prevention guidelines and recommendations.

According to GWTG treatment guidelines, patients are started on aggressive risk reduction therapies such as cholesterol-lowering drugs, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, aspirin, diuretics and anticoagulants in the hospital, or in the case of stroke, they may receive tPA, antithrombotics and DVT prophylaxis. They also receive alcohol/drug use and thyroid management counseling as well as referrals for cardiac rehabilitation before being discharged.

Newton-Wellesley’s staff develop and implement acute and secondary prevention guideline processes. The program includes quality improvement measures such as care maps, discharge protocols, standing orders and measurement tools.  This quick and efficient use of guideline tools will enable Newton-Wellesley Hospital to improve the quality of care it provides heart disease and stroke patients, save lives and ultimately, reduce healthcare costs by lowering recurrence of events.

“The goal of the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines program is to help hospitals like Newton-Wellesley implement appropriate evidence-based care and protocols that will reduce the number of deaths in these patients and in their communities. Newton-Wellesley has achieved a high level of performance in terms of implementing these life-prolonging treatments,” said Gregg C Fonarow, M.D., National Chairman of the GWTG Steering Committee and Director of Ahmanson-UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center.

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, each year approximately 300,000 people suffer a recurrent heart attack, 5.2 million people suffer from heart failure and 700,000 people suffer a stroke.      

Newton-Wellesley is a full system member of Partners HealthCare System, Inc. (PHCS), a nonprofit organization that includes acute care hospitals Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's/Faulkner Hospitals, The North Shore Medical Center, and specialty hospitals McLean Hospital and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, as well as Dana-Farber/Partners CancerCare, and the community-based doctors and hospitals of Partners Community HealthCare, Inc.
 
Newton-Wellesley Hospital provides a wide range of services, including medical, surgical, obstetrical, orthopaedic, neonatal, pediatric and psychiatric care. Newton-Wellesley has been serving its community for over a century. The medical staff of the Hospital includes over 1,000 physicians practicing a full range of specialties. NWH is a major teaching hospital for Tufts University School of Medicine and also has established post-graduate training programs for Harvard Medical School residents.

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CONTACT:
Rachel Kagno
Public Affairs & Marketing
Newton-Wellesley Hospital
617-243-6528
rkagno@partners.org