Vista Cited as Lake County's Only Hospital with Gold-Plus Awards in Stroke & Heart
The latest U.S. News & World Report ranking of hospitals nationwide shows that Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan is the only hospital in Lake County, IL, recognized in 2014 with Gold-Plus Quality Achievement Awards in Stroke and Heart Failure, as well as earning a coveted designation on the Target: Heart FailureSM Honor Roll.
U.S. News provides an annual comprehensive ranking of hospitals throughout the nation that is additionally broken down by state and healthcare specialty. The recently released listing shows that Vista is one of only a handful of hospitals throughout Illinois to have earned these three prestigious designations presented by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association.
Vista's Stroke program earned the Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold-Plus Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. Vista also received the association's Target: Stroke Honor Roll for meeting stroke quality measures that reduce the time between hospital arrival and treatment with the clot-buster tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke.
Meanwhile, the Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) program at Vista Medical Center East won the Get With The Guidelines®-Heart Failure Gold-Plus Quality Achievement Award. This was presented to Vista for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Foundation secondary prevention guidelines for heart failure patients.
"We are proud to be listed by U.S. News as the only hospital in Lake County to have earned the Gold-Plus awards as earn a place on the Target: Stroke Honor Roll," said Barbara Martin, President & CEO of Vista Health System. "These are outstanding achievements that speak to the high caliber of our Stroke and Congestive Heart Failure programs. They also demonstrate our commitment to continually improving the quality of care in these two vitally important areas."
Vista Medical Center East is part of Vista Health System that includes two hospitals, a large outpatient campus in Lindenhurst, three outpatient centers in Gurnee, and numerous employed physician practice offices throughout Lake County. Both programs are also fully accredited by The Joint Commission with Vista East designated as a Primary Stroke Center.
Get With The Guidelines-Stroke helps hospital teams provide the most up-to-date, research-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. Vista earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period.
Vista's CHF program was cited in its award for meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure patients. Vista inpatients with CHF are seen by a heart failure nurse to review their condition, medication and self-management at home.
Appointments are set up for patients to see a physician within seven days after discharge to reduce the risk of readmission within the first 30 days. Patients also receive assistance for transition to home health care or a nursing facility, if needed.
Vista offers the Heart Failure Recovery Clinic for patients to see a resource nurse once a week for four weeks for symptom and medication management, diet and other issues that can affect their health.
More information on Vista's Stroke and CHF programs is available at VistaHealth.com.
Vista Health System is a network that includes: two hospitals in Waukegan - Vista Medical Center East and Vista Medical Center West; the Vista Lindenhurst campus that includes the Vista Ambulatory Care Center, Lindenhurst Surgery Center, LLC, the Vista Freestanding Emergency Center, and the new Vista Medical Office Building; and several locations for imaging, patient therapy and physician practices. Vista is a Center of Excellence in a number of key service areas and accredited in Bariatric Surgery, Cancer, Chest Pain, Congestive Heart Failure, Inpatient Diabetes, Orthopedics, Rehabilitation and Stroke. To learn more about Vista Health System, please visit VistaHealth.com.