Parkway Regional Medical Center has been honored with the American Heart Association’s Get With The GuidelinesSM (GWTG) Initial Performance Achievement Awards for implementing aggressive treatment options and a higher standard of care for cardiac patients. The hospital received commendations for both Heart Failure and Coronary Artery Disease.

“Get With The Guidelines is a quality improvement initiative that provides our hospitals’ staffs with tools that are critical for saving the lives of cardiac patients,” explained Ralph A. Aleman, market vice president of Tenet’s Miami-Dade/Broward Health Network. “We are pleased to be recognized for our dedication and achievements in cardiac care.”

To receive these awards, hospitals must consistently adhere for a 90-day period to evidence-based guidelines and procedures proven to prevent future hospitalizations. Under both GWTG programs, hospital patients are started on aggressive risk reduction therapies such as cholesterol-lowering drugs, beta blockers, ACE inhibitors, aspirin, diuretics, and anticoagulants. Heart failure patients also receive alcohol/drug use and thyroid management counseling and referrals for cardiac rehabilitation before being discharged, and coronary artery disease patients receive smoking cessation and weight management counseling and referrals.