Good Samaritan and Bethesda North Hospitals Receive National Recognition for Commitment to Providing High-Quality Heart Failure Care

TriHealth, Cincinnati’s nationally recognized health care system, is pleased to announce its two flagship hospitals have been recognized by the American Heart Association for proven dedication to ensuring all heart failure patients have access to best practices and life-saving care.

Good Samaritan and Bethesda North Hospitals both received AHA’s Get With The Guidelines – Heart Failure Gold Plus quality achievement award for their commitment to improving outcomes for patients with heart failure, meaning reduced readmissions and more health days at home.

About 6 million U.S. adults are living with heart failure, a number that is expected to increase to more than 8 million by 2030. Despite the name, heart failure doesn’t mean that the heart has stopped working – it means the heart is having a hard time pumping blood and oxygen throughout the body. While there’s no cure for heart failure, patients can live a quality life by working with their health care team to create a stick with a plan that may include medication, symptom monitoring and lifestyle changes.

Good Samaritan also received AHA’s Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll. Hospitals on the Honor Roll meet specific criteria that improve medication adherence, provide early follow-up care and coordination and enhance patient education. The goal is to further reduce hospital readmissions and help patients improve their quality of life in managing this chronic condition. Both Good Samaritan and Bethesda North also received AHA’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award, which aims to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to heart disease or stroke. 

The Get With The Guidelines – Heart Failure quality achievement award is earned by hospitals that demonstrate a commitment to treating patients according to the most up-to-date guidelines as outlined by the AHA. Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the AHA to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research – and evidence-based guidelines. The program aims to increase health days at home and reduce hospital readmissions for heart failure patients.

“TriHealth is committed to improving patient care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines,” Vice President of the TriHealth Heart and Vascular Institute and Joint Venture Management Matt Lehn said. “Get With The Guidelines makes it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, which studies show can help patients recover better. The end goal is to ensure more Cincinnati residents can experience longer, healthier lives.”

Each year, program participants qualify for the award recognition by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for heart failure patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Get With The guidelines participants also provide education to patients to help them manage their heart failure at home.

“We are pleased to recognize the leaders and teams at Good Samaritan and Bethesda North Hospitals for a strong commitment to caring for people with heart failure,” said Sabra Lewsey, M.D., MPH, chair of the AHA Heart Failure System of Care Advisory Group and assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “Hospitals that participate in Get With The Guidelines – Heart Failure often see better patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates – a win for families, communities and health care systems.”

More about TriHealth
TriHealth is hospitals, physicians and the community working together to help people live better. We provide clinical, educational, preventive and social programs through Bethesda North, Bethesda Butler, Good Samaritan and McCullough-Hyde hospitals, and more than 140 other locations throughout Greater Cincinnati. This includes an ambulatory network, physician practices, research division, employer-based health services, hospice care and fitness and health facilities. Learn more at trihealth.com, Facebook.com/TriHealth, @TriHealth on Twitter and at YouTube.com/TriHealth.

More about Get With The Guidelines

Get With The Guidelines is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 14 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.