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Delray Medical Center reflects back on 2015’s top achievements. The hospital is proud of the dedicated physicians, staff and volunteers who made this year’s long list of accolades possible.
 
At the beginning of the year, the hospital ranked in the top 10 for highest patient enrollment numbers out of 150 sites participating in the global Study of Neuroprotective Activity of Progesterone in Severe Traumatic Brain Injuries (SyNAPSe) trial. In February, Delray’s Pinecrest Rehabilitation Hospital received a three-year accreditation from CARF International for its Adult Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit. The unit’s specialty stroke and brain injury programs also achieved specialized accreditations after a rigorous peer review process.
 
In March, Delray Medical Center received recognition as the only hospital in South Florida to make the 100 Top Hospitals® list by Truven Health AnalyticsTM in the "Large Community Hospitals" category. Additionally, it was the only hospital in Florida selected as a 2015 Everest Award winner, a special subset of the 100 Top Hospital winners. Delray is one of only 17 hospitals in the nation that has simultaneously set the national benchmark for balanced excellence in a single year as well as for the greatest improvement over five consecutive years.
 
At the end of March, Delray proudly accepted a string of Get With The Guidelines awards from the American Heart/Stroke Association, including the Heart Failure Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award, the Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll, and the Target Stroke Honor Roll-Elite Plus Quality Achievement Award. These signify the commitment to a higher standard of care by ensuring that heart failure and stroke patients receive treatment according to national guidelines.
 
Summer also saw Delray Medical Center designated as a NICHE Hospital. Through NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders), the hospital is able to offer evidence-based, interdisciplinary approaches that promote better outcomes, positive experiences and improved care for older adults.
At the end of May, Delray became the only hospital in Palm Beach County to offer the breakthrough heart therapy, LVAD implantation, as a treatment option for patients suffering from advanced stages of heart failure. It is designed to assist the left side of the heart to pump blood throughout the body when it is too weak to work efficiently on its own.
 
In June, the hospital was honored with the Healthgrades 2015 Women’s Health Excellence Award™ and was ranked among the Top 5% in the Nation for Women’s Health. Soon after, Delray was the only hospital in South Florida to earn a spot on the top 100 list for “Great Community Hospitals” by Becker’s Hospital Review, a leading hospital and health care industry trade publication.
 
With fall came a new offering at the hospital that could help give patients suffering from neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, a chance to change their lives for the better. The deep brain stimulation procedure serves as an avenue of hope for those who were previously unable to obtain symptom relief. It can also help reduce the fluctuating response to medications that is seen in later stages of Parkinson’s disease.
 
In September, Delray Medical Center earned the Gold Seal of Approval™ for its ventricular assist device (VAD) destination therapy program. The certification recognizes the hospital’s dedication to compliance with The Joint Commission’s (TJC) national standards for health care quality and safety in disease-specific care.
 
Later in the fall, the hospital began to offer several new technologies including a new alternative treatment option for Chronic Total Occlusion (CTO). The CrossBoss and Stingray Coronary CTO Crossing and Re-Entry devices are designed to enable physicians to treat CTOs more successfully and efficiently using minimally invasive techniques. The hospital also unveiled the WATCHMAN Left Atrial Appendage Closure (LAAC) Implant for patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (Afib) as an alternative to reduce their risk of suffering an Afib-related stroke.
 
In October, Delray Medical Center received an “A” Hospital Safety Score from The Leapfrog Group. The Hospital Safety Score rates how well hospitals protect patients from errors, injuries, and infections and is compiled under the guidance of the nation’s leading experts in patient safety. The hospital was also featured in The Joint Commission’s 2015 annual report, “America’s Hospitals: Improving Quality and Safety,” as a 2014 Top Performer on Key Quality Measures®. Delray was recognized for the 5th consecutive year for attaining and sustaining excellence in accountability measure performance for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, surgical care, venous thromboembolism and stroke.
 
As 2016 approaches, Delray Medical Center plans to sustain the high level of dedicated care that led to this year’s numerous accomplishments.