JPS Health Network has been awarded in two areas of cardiology by the American Heart Association (AHA). The Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Award, Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll, and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll and the Get With The Guidelines®- Heart Failure Gold Plus Award, and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll.
The awards signify that JPS has met all guidelines provided by AHA to ensure that we provide consistent care to all patients with or without diabetes who have had a stroke or heart failure.
"There's all this data we have, but translating it into practice and implementing is difficult, so AHA created a quality improvement framework to offer a roadmap to organizations to solve the complicated issues and see improved outcomes. The data shows that organizations that implement these guidelines will see reduced mortality, reduced readmissions, and improvements in patient outcomes," Adam White, RN Chief Program Coordinator said. "With these guidelines, we ensure that our organization maintains alignment with the resources provided for heart failure and [stroke] so that everyone is working in the same direction to tackle the issues while using the best existing tools."
"At JPS, the care that our patients receive is always going to be our number one priority. What this award means for our patients is that when they enter these doors, they are being treated with consistent care, which ensures there are no gaps in equity related to conscious or unconscious biases."
According to White, the data is monitored through a registry that belongs to AHA. Each month, they examine all patients who sought treatment for heart failure at JPS and randomly choose 25 percent of them for abstraction. While gathering this information, their goal is to improve patient outcomes, access, and quality.
"At JPS, the care that our patients receive is always going to be our number one priority. What this award means for our patients is that when they enter these doors, they are being treated with consistent care, which ensures there are no gaps in equity related to conscious or unconscious biases," White said. "We use these guidelines to show that, this is what everybody deserves, this is what everybody needs, and this is how everyone will benefit from it."
JPS is the only healthcare network in Fort Worth to receive this award for its outstanding treatment of heart failure. The accomplishment was achieved by upholding exceptional data standards for two consecutive years.
"This award celebrates our continued excellence in implementing American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines® framework and providing the best evidence-based care to our patients," White said.
Stroke
JPS has received the Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Award for the fifth consecutive year, showing that they have consistently maintained an excellent level of data for at least six years. This achievement highlights JPS patient-centered focus.
"Receiving this award demonstrates that we have maintained a high level of attention to the care that we provide to our patients, such as ensuring that we administer accurate medications and take all necessary precautions to prevent any complications related to strokes," Lauri Speirs, Stroke Coordinator CNS, said.
Speirs shares that they go through the charts of potential stroke patients daily to determine if they have had a stroke or are at a high risk of having one in the future. This process helps them identify the areas that require attention or modification. It also enables them to compile the necessary information to provide patients with guidance on how to reduce their risk factors.
"This award not only represents JPS work, it impacts the community. By recognizing stroke symptoms early and providing treatment, we can reduce the likelihood of long-term disabilities for patients," said Christina Dunn, Stroke Clinical RN. "Additionally, we use this opportunity to educate our patients on preventative measures, such as taking medication, making healthier diet choices, and quitting smoking."
JPS has received an award that allows us to share that we can treat patients who may be showing signs of a stroke or have already had one. Speirs believes this is an ideal opportunity to emphasize the importance of seeking medical help if you experience any symptoms, regardless of whether you suspect it may be a stroke or not.
"We would rather see 100 people come in who think they're having a stroke and find that they're not, than miss that one person who stayed home and has a stroke," Speirs said.