Hackensack Meridian Health Nationally Recognized for Commitment to Providing High-Quality Heart Failure Care

The American Heart Association presents its Get With The Guidelines® - Heart Failure awards for proven dedication to ensuring all heart failure patients have access to best practices and life-saving care

The American Heart Association has recognized eight Hackensack Meridian Health hospitals with Get With The Guidelines® - Heart Failure quality achievement awards for their teams’ commitment to improving outcomes for patients with heart failure, resulting in reduced readmissions and more healthy days at home.

The Hackensack Meridian hospitals that received awards include the following.

• Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, NJ
• Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, NJ
• JFK University Medical Center in Edison, NJ
• Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, NJ
• Ocean University Medical Center in Brick, NJ
• Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, NJ
• Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, NJ
• Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, NJ

About 6 million U.S. adults are living with heart failure (HF), a number that is expected to increase to more than 8 million by 2030. Despite the name, HF doesn’t mean that the heart has stopped working – it means the heart is having a hard time pumping blood and oxygen throughout the body. While there’s no cure for HF, patients can live a quality life by working with their health care team to create and stick with a plan that may include medication, symptom monitoring and lifestyle changes.

The Get With The Guidelines - Heart Failure quality achievement award is earned by hospitals that demonstrate a commitment to treating patients according to the most up-to-date guidelines as outlined by the American Heart Association. Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research- and evidence-based guidelines. The program aims to increase healthy days at home and reduce hospital readmissions for heart failure patients.

Each year, program participants qualify for the award recognition by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for HF patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Get With The Guidelines participants also provide education to patients to help them manage their HF at home.

“Hackensack Meridian Health is committed to improving patient care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines,” said Elizabeth A. Maiorana, MBA, MSN, R.N., CCCC, vice president, Cardiovascular Care Transformation Services, Hackensack Meridian Health. “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 New Jersey experience longer, healthier lives.”

The American Heart Association’s recognition levels recognize the goal of treating patients with 85 percent or higher compliance to core standards of care outlined by the AHA over increasing lengths of time, culminating in two consecutive calendar years for Gold Plus. Hospitals receiving the Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll are required to meet specific criteria that improves medication adherence, provides early followup care and coordination and enhances patient education. The goal is to further reduce hospital readmissions and help patients improve their quality of life in managing this chronic condition. Hospitals receiving Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll, demonstrate that 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 heart disease.

Ocean University Medical Center, JFK University Medical Center, Riverview Medical Center and Palisades Medical Center received Gold Plus Awards with Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. Bayshore Medical Center received the Gold Plus Award with Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll. Jersey Shore University Medical Center and Southern Ocean Medical Center received Gold Plus Awards.

Hackensack University Medical Center received the Silver Award with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. “While Hackensack University Medical Center is one of New Jersey’s premier cardiovascular care providers, we are always looking to enhance our services,” said cardiologist Kanika Mody, M.D., medical director, Surgical VAD (ventricular assist device) Program, Hackensack University Medical Center. “We adopted the AHA’s Get With The Guidelines for heart failure in January 2022 to advance our treatment processes even further. Our team has found them extremely helpful in continuing to provide the best care for our patients.”

For information about Hackensack Meridian’s heart failure services, visit www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/en/services/heart-care/heart-failure. For a free physician referral, call 844-HMH-WELL.