AUMC receives two American Heart Association awards for work with heart failure patients

Cardiovascular disease, including heart failure, is the leading cause of death in the state of Georgia with over 20,000 deaths each year.

Implementing the American Heart Association’s Get With the Guidelines-HF initiative has helped health care providers at AUMC offer the best possible care for patients and their families.

Receiving both the Heart Failure Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award and the Heart Failure Bronze Quality Achievement Award, Augusta University Medical Center has illustrated its dedication to patients suffering from heart failure.

“The tools and resources provided help us track and measure our success in meeting evidence-based clinical guidelines developed to improve patient outcomes,” said Dr. Phillip Coule, interim CEO of the medical center.

AUMC has demonstrated its determination to speed up recovery and reduce hospital readmissions, beginning with ensuring heart failure patients receive the best treatment, as recognized by research-based guidelines founded in the latest scientific evidence, and ending with management education before discharge.

“We are pleased to recognize Augusta University Medical Center for their commitment to heart failure care,” said Dr. Eric E. Smith, national chairman of the Get With The Guidelines Steering Committee and an associate professor of neurology at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. “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.”

Additionally, Augusta University offers a six-week education course that helps to empower patients and families with the knowledge necessary to successfully manage heart failure.

Open to the entire Augusta community, the Heart Failure University program offers patients and families a free, multidisciplinary six-week program to help increase quality of life scores while lowering heart failure readmissions.

For more information about the work Augusta University Medical Center is doing for heart failure patients, contact the Heart and Cardiovascular Center.