UnityPoint Health – Des Moines Is Nationally Recognized for Its Commitment to Providing High-Quality Cardiovascular Care

Des Moines, Iowa – UnityPoint Health – Des Moines has receive the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke SilverPlus quality achievement award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.

Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States. Stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so brain cells die. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and accelerating recovery times.

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 research- and evidence-based guidelines. Get With The Guidelines - Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.
 
“UnityPoint Health – Des Moines is committed to improving patient care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines,” shared Dr. Shivakrishna Kovi, UnityPoint Health – Des Moines Stroke Medical Director. “Get With The Guidelines makes it easier for our team at Iowa Methodist Medical Center 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 central Iowans can experience longer, healthier lives.”

UnityPoint Health – Des Moines also received the American Heart Association’s Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll award and Target: Type 2 Honor Roll award. To qualify for the Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll award a hospital must meet specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster alteplase. Target: Type 2 Diabetes award recipients aim to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke.

“We are pleased to recognize UnityPoint Health – Des Moines for its commitment to caring for those in their community who need cardiovascular care,” said John Warner, M.D., FAHA, past president of the American Heart Association and CEO of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “Hospitals that follow the American Heart Association’s quality improvement protocols often see improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates – a win for health care systems, families and communities.”