Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital earns national recognition for efforts to improve management of heart failure

Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital has received the American Heart Association’s Gold Plus Get With The Guidelines^®-Heart Failure Quality Achievement Award for our commitment to managing heart failure in patients. BWFH has received a Guidelines®-Heart Failure Quality Achievement Award every year since 2014, but this is the first year we are honored with a Gold Plus level.

More than 6.5 million adults in the United States are living with heart failure. Many heart failure patients can lead a full, enjoyable life when their condition is managed with proper medications or devices and with healthy lifestyle changes.

The award recognizes our hospital’s commitment to ensuring heart failure patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines founded in the latest scientific evidence. The goal is speeding recovery and reducing hospital readmissions for heart failure patients.

“Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital is dedicated to improving the quality of care for our patients with heart failure by implementing the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure initiative,” says Caitlin Manca, MPH, Program Director for Hospital Quality, “The end goal is to ensure more people in our area can experience longer, healthier lives. This year’s Gold Plus award recognizes our commitment to following the four achievement measures but also achieving high scores with at least four of the additional Get With The Guidelines quality measures.”

Each year program participants apply 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, participants also provide education to patients to help them manage their heart failure once at home. There are six levels of achievement—Gold Plus, Gold, Silver Plus, Silver, Bronze and Participating.

“We are pleased to recognize Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital for their commitment to heart failure care,” says Clyde W. Yancy, MD, MSc, MACC, FAHA, MACP, FHFSA, National Chairperson of the American Heart Association Heart Failure Systems of Care Advisory Group and Chief of the Division of Cardiology at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine. “Hospitals that follow Get With The Guidelines protocols often see fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates—a win for healthcare systems, families and communities.”

Additionally, Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital received the Association’s Target: Type 2 Honor Roll award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed with more than 90 percent of compliance for 12 consecutive months for the “Overall Diabetes Cardiovascular Initiative Composite Score.”