Kaiser Permanente Recognized For Stroke and Cardiac Care

Kaiser Permanente Northern California hospitals are being recognized by the American Heart Association for delivering high-quality, exceptional care to stroke and heart failure patients.

Kaiser Permanente Sacramento is among the 20 Kaiser Permanente Northern California hospitals that received the Get With The Guidelines®-Heart Failure Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award and the Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award and the Target Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus Award., The full list includes Antioch, Fremont, Fresno, Modesto, Oakland, Redwood City, Richmond, Roseville, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, San Leandro, San Rafael, Santa Clara, Santa Rosa, South Sacramento, South San Francisco, Vacaville, Vallejo and Walnut Creek. Manteca also received the Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award and Target Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus Award.

AHA presents the awards to hospitals that are committed to using the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized guidelines founded in the latest scientific evidence. Kaiser Permanente hospitals are regularly recognized among the nation’s leaders in cardiovascular care.

According to a 2018 study in the American Journal of Medicine, the overall rates of heart disease and stroke mortality are lower for Kaiser Permanente Northern California members compared to the rest of the country. In 2000, for instance, U.S. heart disease mortality was 39.3 percent higher than in the Kaiser Permanente group, while stroke mortality was about the same for both. But by 2015, U.S. heart disease mortality was 43.2 percent higher than in Kaiser Permanente Northern California members and stroke mortality was 13.3 percent higher in the U.S. population than among the Kaiser Permanente members.

“This kind of success in cardiac and stroke care is possible only because our teams closely coordinate throughout these complex processes. We are honored to receive this recognition, and the real winners are our patients who receive optimal care when they come through our doors,” said Sandy Sharon, senior vice president and area manager, Kaiser Permanente Sacramento.

“Experiencing a stroke or heart attack can have life-altering impacts on a person’s health. Timely, effective, efficient care is the key to good outcome and we are proud to be recognized as a quality leader, delivering the best care to every patient we see,” said Roderick Vitangcol, MD, physician in chief, Kaiser Permanente Sacramento.

The Get With The Guidelines®-Heart Failure Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award is earned by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and aggressive risk-reduction therapies. Before discharge, patients should also receive education on managing their heart failure and overall health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.

The Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award is earned 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, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.