Recent healthcare metrics demonstrate a concerning trend: rural Americans face higher mortality rates than urban residents. Data indicates that rural residents are at 30% higher risk of stroke, 40% more likely to develop heart disease and live an average of three years fewer than urban counterparts.
The American Heart Association is committed to bringing equitable care to all. For that reason, the American Heart Association is focused on closing the gap between rural and urban hospital care as a top priority.
Participating hospitals will receive no-cost access to add new Get With The Guidelines quality programs for coronary artery disease, heart failure, and stroke. These programs allow hospitals to measure compliance of evidence-based guidelines, benchmark with peers, and improve on quality of patient care, while simultaneously bringing up-to-date information to inform healthcare guidelines.
In addition to the benefits of The Get With the Guidelines programs, participating hospitals will work with American Heart Association Quality Improvement Consultants to learn model practices relevant to their region and size.
Hospitals will also receive:
- Access to a Rural Community Network, where they will be invited to participate in rural learning collaboratives and receive access to professional education through the American Heart Association. Hospitals will have access to clinical experts and thought leaders at conferences and seminars.
- Rural recognition through events and publications will allow hospitals to share accomplishments in care excellence with the communities they serve.
Hospitals eligible to participate in this program must fit at least one of the below criteria:
- Federally designated critical access hospitals
- Short-term acute care facilities and rural hospital located in Rural Urban Commuting Area Codes (RUCA) indicating rural and isolated geographic locations (Codes 4-10 and 99).
To learn more about the American Heart Association and to apply for this quality improvement program, click here.
