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Heart Care
 It is imperative that healthcare providers respond quickly to patients complaining of symptoms suggestive of a heart attack or acute myocardial infarction (AMI). To minimize damage to the heart muscle and to maximize the likelihood of survival after an AMI, patients need to receive care that has been proven to decrease morbidity and mortality. The following measures are used to assess care for patients hospitalized with an AMI; aspirin at arrival, Beta Blocker at arrival, median time to thrombolysis or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for patients with ST segment elevation or left bundle branch block (LBBB) on electrocardiogram, adult smoking cessation advice / counseling, aspirin prescribed at discharge, Beta Blocker prescribed at discharge, and ACE Inhibitor or ARB prescribed at discharge for patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LSVD).
Masspro, through its collaborative sessions, educates healthcare providers in the redesign of processes to ensure rapid response to symptom identification, promotes cultural transformation to aid in the elimination of hierarchical communication barriers that may hinder response time, and supports improvement in performance measurement and reporting. In the most recent contract period, Masspro helped participating Massachusetts hospitals achieve a 28 percent improvement in these AMI initiative.
“Nearly 5 million Americans are living with heart failure, and 550,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.”1 The symptoms of heart failure are shortness of breath and fatigue. If not treated properly, heart failure can interfere with the basic activities of daily living (e.g., walking, bathing, or climbing stairs). While there’s usually no cure, people with heart failure can lead full lives if they receive care that has been proven to decrease morbidity and mortality. The following measures are used to assess care for patients hospitalized with heart failure; assessment of left ventricular function (LVF), ACE Inhibitor or ARB prescribed at discharge for patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD), adult smoking cessation advice / counseling, and discharge instructions on activity level, diet, medication, follow-up care, weight monitoring, and actions to take if heart failure symptoms worsen.
Masspro, working with the American Heart Association (AHA), is leading the effort to ensure that heart failure patients are treated according to evidence-based guidelines that promote patient and family education and optimal management of their heart failure medication(s). At its collaborative sessions, Masspro promotes transformational culture change through rapid data feedback, which enables the implementation of small improvements in care or allows the re-engineering of processes to be done in a friendlier, more reliable, and safer manner. In addition, we are helping hospitals craft discharge processes that ensure that heart failure patients get the six (6) elements of discharge instructions that enable them to stay out of the hospital. This approach is also helping to bridge the gap between inpatient and home health services, thus improving patient and family satisfaction.
Masspro also provides hospitals with onsite consultation, grand rounds, and scientific literature reviews that address areas of quality improvement.
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