Franciscan Health Indianapolis Earns 2020 Heart Failure Care Recognition From AHA

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – Franciscan Health Indianapolis has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® - Heart Failure GOLD PLUS with Honor Roll Quality Achievement Award.

The AHA designation recognizes the hospital’s commitment to ensuring heart failure patients receive evidenced-based medicine and therapies within the heart failure guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence and research. The goal is to place patients on guideline-directed medical therapies to help improve their quality of life and reduce heart failure re-admissions.

Further, Franciscan Health Indianapolis earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and aggressive risk-reduction therapies. Before discharge, patients should receive education on managing their heart failure and overall health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions. The goal is to reduce hospital re-admissions and help patients improve their quality of life in managing this chronic condition.

“This award attests to the dedication and hard work of our doctors, nurses, cardiac nurse navigators and support staff at Franciscan Health Heart Center,” said Terri Ruff, vice president of operations for Franciscan Health in Central Indiana. “The tools and resources provided help us track and measure our success to improve patient outcomes.”

“We are pleased to recognize Franciscan Health for their commitment to heart failure care,” said Lee H. Schwamm, MD, national chairperson of the Quality Oversight Committee and Executive Vice Chair of Neurology, Director of Acute Stroke Services, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. “Research has shown that hospitals adhering to clinical measures through the Get With The Guidelines quality improvement initiative can often see fewer re-admissions and lower mortality rates.”