INDIANAPOLIS – Franciscan Health Indianapolis and Mooresville have received three American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines® achievement awards for demonstrating commitment to following up-to-date, research-based guidelines for the treatment of heart disease and stroke, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer readmissions to the hospital.

The awards are recognition for each hospital’s commitment to ensuring stroke and heart failure patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally-recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability. The goal is speeding recovery and reducing hospital readmissions for stroke and heart failure patients.

Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke or heart attack, and heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 5 causes of death in the United States, respectively. Studies show patients can recover better when providers consistently follow treatment guidelines.

Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest evidence- and research-based guidelines. As a participant in Get With The Guidelines, Franciscan Health qualified for the awards by demonstrating how their organization has committed to improving quality care.

“Franciscan Health is committed to improving patient care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines,” said Lori Price, president and CEO for Franciscan Health Central Indiana. “Get With The Guidelines makes it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, which studies show can help patients recover better. The end goal is to ensure more people in Central Indiana can experience longer, healthier lives.”

This year, Franciscan Health received these achievement awards:

  • Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus
    • Franciscan Health Indianapolis
    • Franciscan Health Mooresville
  • Get With The Guidelines®-Heart Failure Gold Plus
    • Franciscan Health Indianapolis

“We are incredibly pleased to recognize Franciscan Health for their commitment to caring for patients with stroke and heart failure,” said Steven Messe, M.D., volunteer chairperson of the American Heart Association Stroke System of Care Advisory Group and professor of neurology and director of fellowships of neurology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. “Participation in Get With The Guidelines is associated with improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates – a win for health care systems, families and communities.”

Franciscan Health Indianapolis and Mooresville were also recognized as part of the American Heart Association’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with thrombolytic therapy. 

Franciscan Health Indianapolis was named to the association’s Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll and the Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. Hospitals are required to meet specific criteria that improves medication adherence, provides early follow-up care and coordination and enhances patient education to be part of the Honor Roll. The goal is to reduce hospital readmissions and help patients improve their quality of life in managing this chronic condition.

Learn more about Franciscan Health.

About Franciscan Health

The Franciscan Alliance healthcare ministry began in Lafayette, Indiana, in 1875. Today, Franciscan Alliance is one of the largest Catholic health care systems in the Midwest with 12 hospital campuses, more than 19,000 employees and a number of nationally recognized Centers of Health Care Excellence. Hospitals include: Franciscan Health Carmel; Franciscan Health Crawfordsville; Franciscan Health Crown Point; Franciscan Health Dyer; Franciscan Health Indianapolis; Franciscan Health Lafayette; Franciscan Health Michigan City; Franciscan Health Mooresville; Franciscan Health Munster; Franciscan Health Olympia Fields (Illinois); Franciscan Health Orthopedic Hospital (Carmel) and Franciscan Health Rensselaer.

About Get With The Guidelines®

Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 14 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.