BayCare Hospitals Recognized by the American Heart Association

Several BayCare hospitals recently received recognition from the American Heart Association for achieving outstanding quality measures when treating heart attacks and strokes.

Six BayCare hospitals earned the Mission: Lifeline® STEMI Receiving Award for meeting and exceeding specific standards of performance for quick and appropriate treatment of patients suffering severe heart attacks. The metrics factor in the entire process from the 9-1-1 call, to EMS transport, to hospital treatment to discharge. 

The hospitals receiving the Mission: Lifeline® STEMI Receiving Center Award are:

• St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa – Gold Plus
• Mease Countryside in Safety Harbor – Gold 
• St. Anthony’s Hospital in St. Petersburg – Gold 
• St. Joseph’s Hospital-North in Lutz – Gold
• Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater – Bronze Plus 
• Winter Haven Hospital in Winter Haven – Bronze Plus

The Gold award indicates the hospital has achieved the quality measures for 24 months, while Bronze indicates data for a consecutive 90-day interval. Hospitals that also received the Plus designation met the quality measures for the award while achieving first door-to-device time under 120 minutes at least 75 percent of the time.

The following BayCare hospitals received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get with the Guidelines® Stroke Awards:

• Mease Dunedin Hospital in Dunedin – Gold Plus with Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
• Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater – Gold Plus with Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
• St. Anthony’s Hospital in St. Petersburg – Gold Plus with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll 
• South Florida Baptist in Plant City – Gold Plus with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
• St. Joseph’s Hospital-South in Riverview – Silver Plus with Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll

This award recognizes the hospitals’ commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines determined by the latest scientific evidence. This includes everything from proper use of medication and stroke treatments to discharge education.

The Honor Roll Elite designation received by Mease Dunedin Hospital, Morton Plant Hospital and St. Joseph’s Hospital-South indicates these hospitals met quality measures designed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke.

The hospitals earned the Diabetes Type 2 Honor Roll distinction by achieving more than 90 percent of compliance for 12 consecutive months for the “Overall Diabetes Cardiovascular Initiative Composite Score.”

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.

“Our hospital teams strive to provide outstanding care to each patient every day. They know that seconds matter when treating heart attacks and strokes,” said Glenn Waters, executive vice president/chief operating office BayCare Health System.  “We are honored that the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association recognizes our commitment to successfully treat heart attack and stroke patients.”

About BayCare Health System
BayCare is a leading not-for-profit health care system that connects individuals and families to a wide range of services at 15 hospitals and hundreds of other convenient locations throughout the Tampa Bay and central Florida regions. Inpatient and outpatient services include acute care, primary care, imaging, laboratory, behavioral health, home care, and wellness. Our mission is to improve the health of all we serve through community-owned, health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. For more information, visit BayCare on the Web at www.BayCare.org. 

About Mission: Lifeline
The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program helps hospitals and emergency medical services develop systems of care that follow proven standards and procedures for STEMI patients. The program works by mobilizing teams across the continuum of care to implement American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Foundation clinical treatment guidelines.  For more information, visit heart.org.