All Five Inova Hospitals Receive “Get With the Guidelines” Awards

American Heart Association Award recognizes Inova’s commitment to quality stroke care

Falls Church, va ― All five Inova hospitals received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines^® Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Quality Achievement Award. Inova Fairfax Hospital, Inova Loudoun Hospital and Inova Mount Vernon Hospital all received the “Elite Plus” certificate.  The award recognizes the hospitals’ commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.

“Every Inova hospital maintains a high level of quality stroke care and strives for the recovery of each stroke patient we serve.” said Steve J. Motew, MD, Chief, Clinical Enterprise, Inova Health System.  “The recognition by the American Heart/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke program further reinforces Inova’s ongoing commitment to deliver patient-centered, cutting edge care and our commitment to treat stroke promptly and safely to achieve the best possible outcomes.”

Each Inova hospital earned the awards 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, have a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions. Inova also maintains stroke support groups at each of the five hospitals.

Improving stroke care in Northern Virginia is a priority Inova embraces with continuous review. “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.” said Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., national chairperson of the Quality Oversight Committee and Executive Vice Chair of Neurology, Director of Acute Stroke Services, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, who goes on to say, ““We are pleased to recognize all five Inova hospitals for their commitment to stroke care.”

To qualify for the Elite Plus recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke.

Every second counts with stroke. A stroke patient loses neurons every second there is a delay in treatment and rapid treatment and diagnosis is important to making a difference in disability and recovery.

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.

Media Contact: Tracy Connell, tracy.connell@inova.org, 703-289-2087

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About Inova

Inova is Northern Virginia’s leading nonprofit healthcare provider, employing more than 18,000 team members and serving more than 2 million individuals annually through an integrated network of hospitals, primary and specialty care practices, emergency and urgent care centers, outpatient services and destination institutes such as the Inova Heart and Vascular Institute, Inova Schar Cancer Institute and Inova Neuroscience and Spine Institute. Our mission is to provide world-class healthcare – every time, every touch – to each person in every community we have the privilege to serve. Founded in 1956 as the Fairfax Hospital Association, Inova has grown with its surrounding community and the region to provide a full spectrum of health services, including Northern Virginia’s only Level 1 Trauma Center and Level 4 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Its hospitals have a total of 1,800 licensed beds.

Four of Inova’s five hospitals have received five-star rankings from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; they are the only hospitals in the Washington, DC region to have earned the highest rating from the federal agency. To achieve its mission of providing world-class healthcare to a diverse community, Inova is home to prominent clinicians and scientists who drive innovation to improve patient care, prevent disease and promote wellness. More information and statistics about Inova can be found at www.inova.org.