RWJ Hamilton Recognized for Quality Stroke Care

HAMILTON, NEW JERSEY– The American Heart Association (AHA) and American Stroke Association (ASA) are recognizing Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton for its performance in treating stroke patients using their Get With The GuidelinesSM (GWTG) program. The hospital was recently featured in the AHA/ASA listings in US News & World Report.

"We are delighted that the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association have chosen the 'America's Best Hospitals' issue of US News & World Report to recognize RWJ Hamilton for our achievements in their quality improvement program," says RWJ Hamilton President and CEO, Ellen Guarnieri. "We are committed to using the tools and reports they provide as just one more way to help us effectively care for our coronary heart disease, heart failure and stroke patients."

GWTG is a hospital-based quality improvement program designed to ensure that hospitals consistently care for cardiac and stroke patients following the most up-to-date guidelines and recommendations. The program provides three modules that address coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke. Currently more than 1,450 hospitals use one or more GWTG modules. Hospitals are recognized if at least 85 percent of their cardiac or stroke patients are treated and discharged according to the AHA/ASA's recommendations.

"The American Heart Association is pleased to recognize its top Get With The Guidelines participants," said the initiative's national chairman Gregg C. Fonarow, MD, director, Ahmanson-UCLA Cardiomypopathy Center. "The program makes it easier for hospitals like RWJ Hamilton to provide appropriate evidence-based care and ultimately improve the quality of life."

More About RWJ Hamilton
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton (RWJ Hamilton) is the only New Jersey hospital to receive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Located in Hamilton Township, NJ, the hospital is part of the RWJ Health System and Network and is affiliated with the University of Medicine and Dentistry New Jersey-RWJ Medical School and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

The RWJ Hamilton Health Care Corporation serves communities within a five-county area and includes an acute care hospital, the Cancer Institute of New Jersey Hamilton, three affiliated medical groups, seven Lakeview Child Centers, and the RWJ Hamilton Center for Health & Wellness, home of a medically-based fitness center and the hospital's extensive community education program. Over 1,900 hospital employees and 650 medical staff physicians share RWJ Hamilton's passion for Excellence Through Service. For more information, visit www.rwjhamilton.org.