MercyOne recognized by the American Heart Association for commitment to providing high-quality cardiovascular and stroke care

MercyOne medical centers across Iowa have received a total of 17 American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines® and Mission: Lifeline® achievement awards for demonstrating a commitment to following up-to-date, research-based guidelines for the treatment of heart disease and stroke, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer readmissions to the hospital.

Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. experiences a stroke or heart attack, and heart disease and stroke rank as the No. 1 and No. 4 leading causes of death in the United States, respectively. Studies show that patients tend to recover more effectively when providers consistently follow established treatment guidelines.

Get With The Guidelines and Mission: Lifeline leverage the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to support hospitals nationwide, ensuring patient care is aligned with the latest evidence-based guidelines. As a participant in the two programs, MercyOne Medical Centers across Iowa qualified for the awards by demonstrating their commitment to improving the quality of care.

“Our MercyOne teams are exceptionally skilled and deeply deserving of this recognition for their continued commitment to improving the quality of cardiovascular and stroke care,” said Hijinio Carreon, DO, Chief Clinical Officer at MercyOne. “Our colleagues and physicians live in the communities they serve, and every day they work together to ensure that patients experiencing stroke or heart attack symptoms receive timely, evidence-based care and the best possible outcomes. These awards reflect their dedication, expertise and unwavering focus on the patients and families who entrust MercyOne with their care.”

MercyOne received the following Get With The Guidelines achievement awards:

MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center:

• Stroke Award: Gold Plus
• Stroke Award: Target: Stroke Advanced Therapy Honor Roll
• Stroke Award: Target: Stroke Honor Roll

MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center:

• Coronary Artery Disease: NSTEMI Bronze
• Stroke Award: Gold Plus
• Stroke Award: Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll
• Stroke Award: Target: Type 2 Diabetes™ Honor Roll

MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center:

• Stroke Award: Gold Plus
• Stroke Award: Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll
• Stroke Award: Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll

MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center:

• Resuscitation Award: Gold
• Resuscitation Award: Target: CPR
• Stroke Award: Rural Gold
• Stroke Award: Gold Plus

MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center

• Coronary Artery Disease: NSTEMI Bronze
• Coronary Artery Disease: Silver Receiving Plus
• Coronary Artery Disease: Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll

“These awards reflect MercyOne's commitment to caring for people in their community who need cardiovascular care,” said Karen E. Joynt Maddox, M.D., MPH, chair of the American Heart Association Quality Oversight Committee. “By following the American Heart Association’s quality improvement protocols, MercyOne can help advance our shared vision for better patient outcomes, fewer readmissions, and lower mortality rates — a win for patients, families and health care systems.