Memorial Hospital West Receives 2005 Premier Award for Quality
July 2005 — Memorial Hospital West has won the 2005 Premier Award for Quality in the clinical area of “Heart Failure.” This nationally recognized award honors hospitals that deliver outstanding patient care while reducing healthcare costs through resource management.
Heart failure is a condition that results from ineffective pumping of the heart due to a weakened heart muscle. As the heart fails — gradually losing its ability to pump blood — the body can’t get enough blood to meet its needs. Shortness of breath, fatigue and leg swelling often result. When fluid accumulates in the lungs, the condition is called “congestive heart failure.” A variety of treatment options is available and may include lifestyle changes, medications, interventional procedures such as angioplasty and stenting, and surgical procedures such as pacemaker implantation and heart valve repair.
The Premier Award for Quality is given in five clinical areas and is based on quality and cost data regularly submitted to Premier Healthcare Informatics, which is part of Premier, Inc., a strategic healthcare alliance that provides an array of performance solutions to hospitals and other providers. Only three winners are selected in each category for each hospital type from an eligible pool of nearly 400 Premier hospitals.
This has been a busy year for Memorial Hospital West and its cardiac program. In 2004, Memorial Hospital West developed a Cardiovascular Interventional Suite to provide a variety of diagnostic and interventional cardiac services for patients. Months later, Memorial Hospital West was the first hospital in Florida certified by the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration to perform emergency Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasties (PTCAs) for myocardial infarctions, or heart attacks, without having an approved adult open heart surgery program on site. This January, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) awarded “Primary Stroke Center” Certification to Memorial Hospital West’s Stroke Program — one of only ten centers in Florida as of June 2005 and, along with Memorial Regional Hospital, one of only two in South Florida.
If you are concerned about your risk for heart conditions and would like a referral to a physician, call Memorial Physician Referral Service toll-free (800) 944-DOCS. We’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.