Memorial Medical Center was recognized by the American Heart Association for its commitment to quality heart failure care.

The nonprofit hospital received the Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award from the American Heart Association, which recognizes the hospital's commitment to ensuring heart failure patients received the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines found in the latest scientific evidence.

Memorial Medical Center earned the award 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.

"Memorial Medical Center is dedicated to improving the quality of care for our patients with heart failure by implementing the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines Heart Failure initiative," said Mitch Rogers, administrator for cardiovascular and pulmonary services at Memorial Medical Center. "The tools and resources provided help us track and measure our success in meeting evidence-based clinical guidelines developed to improve patient outcomes."

“We are pleased to recognize Memorial Medical Center for their commitment to heart failure care,” said Dr. Eric E. Smith, national chairman of the Get With The Guidelines steering committee and an associate professor of neurology at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. “Research has shown that hospitals adhering to clinical measures through the Get With The Guidelines quality improvement initiative can often see fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates.”

More than 6.5 million adults in the United States are living with heart failure, according to the American Heart Association. Many heart failure patients can lead a full, enjoyable life when their condition is managed with proper medications or devices and with healthy lifestyle changes.