Houston Northwest Medical Center receives American Heart Association award

Staff at the Houston Northwest Medical Center prepare for a procedure.

The American Heart Association has awarded the Houston Northwest Medical Center its Get With the Guidelines-Heart Failure Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award.

“Our drive to provide quality, award-winning health care for a growing community has resulted in our earning the highest quality standard,” said Linda Mercier, RN, MSN and CEO of the medical center, in a press release announcing the award. “This commendation has been made possible because of our dedicated team of health professionals who work hard to set us apart from other hospitals.”

The award recognizes excellence in the treatment of patients with heart failure. To qualify, an institution must achieve an 85 percent or greater adherence to award guidelines for two consecutive 12-month intervals and a 75 percent or higher compliance with Get With the Guidelines-Heart Failure Quality Measures.

The Get With the Guidelines hospital-based quality improvement initiative focuses specifically on adherence to evidence-based guidelines and procedures to care for heart failure patients.

According to the American Heart Association, approximately 5.7 million people suffer from heart failure, with 670,000 new cases diagnosed each year. This year, more than 277,000 will die of heart failure. For more information, visit heart.org/quality.

The Northwest Houston Medical Center is located at 710 FM 1960 W. For more information, visit www.hnmc.com.