Franciscan Health Olympia Fields Nationally Recognized For High-Quality Heart Failure Care

OLYMPIA FIELDS, Illinois - Franciscan Health Olympia Fields has received the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines® – Heart Failure Bronze quality achievement award for its commitment to improving outcomes for patients with heart failure, meaning reduced readmissions and more healthy days at home.

About 6 million U.S. adults are living with heart failure, a number that is expected to increase to more than 8 million by 2030. Despite the name, heart failure 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 is no cure for heart failure, patients can live quality lives by working with their health care team to create and stick with a plan that may include medication, symptom monitoring and lifestyle changes.

The Get With The Guidelines® – Heart Failure quality achievement award is earned by hospitals that demonstrate a commitment to treating patients according to the most up-to-date guidelines as outlined by the American Heart Association. Get With The Guidelines® puts the expertise of the American Heart Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research- and evidence-based guidelines. The program aims to increase healthy days at home and reduce hospital readmissions for heart failure patients.

"Franciscan Health Olympia Fields is committed to improving patient care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines," said Franciscan Health Olympia Fields President and CEO Raymond Grady. "Get With The Guidelines® makes it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, which studies show can help patients recover better. The end goal is to ensure more people can experience longer, healthier lives."

Each year, program participants qualify for the award recognition by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for heart failure patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Get With The Guidelines® participants also provide education to patients to help them manage their heart failure at home.

"We are pleased to recognize the leaders and teams at Franciscan Health Olympia Fields for a strong commitment to caring for people with heart failure," said Sabra Lewsey, MD, MPH, chair of the American Heart Association Heart Failure System of Care Advisory Group and assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "Hospitals that participate in Get With The Guidelines® – Heart Failure often see better patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates a win for families, communities and healthcare systems."

About Franciscan Alliance

The Franciscan Alliance healthcare ministry began in Lafayette, Indiana in 1875. Today, Franciscan Alliance is one of the largest Catholic health care systems in the Midwest with 12 hospital campuses, more than 19,000 employees and a number of nationally recognized Centers of Health Care Excellence. Hospitals include Franciscan Health Carmel; Franciscan Health Crawfordsville; Franciscan Health Crown Point; Franciscan Health Dyer; Franciscan Health Indianapolis; Franciscan Health Lafayette; Franciscan Health Michigan City; Franciscan Health Mooresville; Franciscan Health Munster; Franciscan Health Olympia Fields (Illinois), Franciscan Health Orthopedic Hospital (Carmel) and Franciscan Health Rensselaer.

About Get With The Guidelines®

Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines® has touched the lives of more than 14 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.