San Jose Kaiser: national marks for cardiac/heart failure care

Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center is among 20 Northern California hospitals being recognized by the American Heart Association for delivering high-quality, exceptional care to stroke and heart failure patients.

Twenty Kaiser Permanente Northern California hospitals received the Get With The Guidelines®-Heart Failure Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award and the Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award and the Target Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus Award: Antioch, Fremont, Fresno, Modesto, Oakland, Redwood City, Richmond, Roseville, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, San Leandro, San Rafael, Santa Clara, Santa Rosa, South Sacramento, South San Francisco, Vacaville, Vallejo and Walnut Creek. Manteca also received the Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award and Target Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus Award.

AHA presents the awards to hospitals that are committed to using the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized guidelines founded in the latest scientific evidence. Kaiser Permanente hospitals are regularly recognized among the nation’s leaders in cardiovascular care.

According to a 2018 study in the American Journal of Medicine, the overall rates of heart disease and stroke mortality are lower for Kaiser Permanente Northern California members compared to the rest of the country. In 2000, for instance, U.S. heart disease mortality was 39.3 percent higher than in the Kaiser Permanente group, while stroke mortality was about the same for both. But by 2015, U.S. heart disease mortality was 43.2 percent higher than in Kaiser Permanente Northern California members and stroke mortality was 13.3 percent higher in the U.S. population than among the Kaiser Permanente members.

“Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center was one of the first Kaiser Permanente hospitals to become an accredited stroke care center, and since then, we’ve been leading the way in excellent outcomes and quality care for our stroke patients,” said Efren Rosas, MD and physician in chief of the Kaiser Permanente San Jose hospital. “We’ve received this honor many times over the years and it’s a continuing tribute to the hard work of our teams.”

“By using the latest evidence-based treatment protocols and focusing on prevention, Kaiser Permanente San Jose is saving lives every day,” said Irene Chavez, senior vice president and area manager, Kaiser Permanente San Jose. “We keep the patient at the center of all we do and this honor reflects the high-quality care we provide.”

The Get With The Guidelines®-Heart Failure Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award is earned by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and aggressive risk-reduction therapies. Before discharge, patients should also receive education on managing their heart failure and overall health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.

The Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award is earned by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. Before discharge, patients should also receive education on managing their health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.