Johns Hopkins University: Howard County General Hospital Earns National Recognition for Stroke and Cardiac Programs
Howard County General Hospital has received four awards from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association recognizing the hospital’s implementation of quality improvement measures that ensure cardiovascular and stroke patients receive efficient and coordinated care, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer returns to the hospital.
Nearly half of all adults in the U.S. have experienced some form of cardiovascular disease—including heart attack, stroke and heart failure. For patients with conditions that are severe enough to be transported or admitted to a hospital, time is critical.
Primary Stroke Program
The Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award recognizes HCGH’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence. HCGH 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.
HCGH also received the association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll™ Award for meeting quality measures developed with more than 90% of compliance for 12 consecutive months for the “Overall Diabetes Cardiovascular Initiative Composite Score.”
Cardiac Program
The hospital received the Mission: Lifeline® EMS Silver Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures to treat patients who experience an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the deadliest type of heart attack, caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment.
Additionally, the hospital received the Mission: Lifeline® NSTEMI Silver Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures to treat patients experiencing a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), caused by a partial blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment.
About Howard County General Hospital
Howard County General Hospital: A Member of Johns Hopkins Medicine is a not-for-profit health care provider with 225 licensed beds located in Columbia, Maryland. A comprehensive, acute-care medical center, Howard County General offers a full range of services, from neonatal care and oncology to outpatient treatment and critical care.
The hospital has a professional staff of more than 1,000 physicians and allied health professionals, representing 118 specialties and subspecialties and a workforce of nearly 1,800 employees.