Tift Regional Medical Center recently received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award. 

The award recognizes the Tift Regional Medical Center’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. 

Tift Regional 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 also receive education on managing their heart failure and overall health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions. 

“We are dedicated to improving the quality of care for our patients with heart failure by implementing the American Heart Association’s Get with the Guidelines-HF initiative,” said Garrett Surrency, a Nurse Practitioner with the Tift Regional Congestive Heart Failure Clinic. “The tools and resources provided help us track and measure our success in meeting evidenced-based clinical guidelines developed to improve patient outcomes. This also goes back to the overall mission of Southwell, which is to deliver a lifetime of quality and compassionate care for each patient we serve. Receiving this award shows that we truly can stand behind that statement.” 

According to the American Heart Association, 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.

“We have all pulled together to work on this initiative,” said Dr. William Hancock, a cardiologist with Tiftarea Cardiology and the President & Chief of Medical Staff at Tift Regional Medical Center. “This would not have been possible without the amazing team we have here, and it truly speaks the power of teamwork.”

“We are pleased to recognize Tift Regional Medical Center for their commitment to heart failure care,” said Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., 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 readmissions and lower mortality rates.”