Heart Failure Quality Ratings
What is Heart Failure?Heart failure is a weakening of the heart's pumping power. Your heart tries to pump more blood to get the oxygen and nutrients it needs, but the muscle wall becomes weaker over time.
| Data listed is from the Fourth Quarter of 2008. | Barton | State Average | U.S. Average |
| Severity of heart failure evaluated | 100% | 96% | 83% |
Severity of heart failure evaluated by testing the function of the main pumping chamber of the heart (left ventricle) can show if a heart is in heart failure or how well the heart is pumping. |
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| ACE Inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) given | 100% | 92% | 82% |
| ACE inhibitors (Angiotensin Converting Enzyme) or ARBs (Angiotensin Receptor Blockers) are given to improve the ability to pump blood to the body. | |||
| Advised to quit smoking | 100% | 95% | 79% |
| Quitting smoking can reduce the chance of a heart failure by 50%, thus patients are counseled on how to quit. | |||
| Clear instructions given prior to discharge | 100% | 78% | 60% |
| Clear instructions given prior to discharge can prevent further hospitalizations. | |||
* Barton has an opportunity to improve our clinical indicators. We are building an outcome nurse program to identify patients on admission who may have the diagnosis of heart failure and follow these patients through their stay, assuring we not only follow, but document our adherence to the guidelines. These specially trained registered nurses will be working as a team with your physician(s). They will assure certain tests are ordered and spend the extra time with patients before they are discharged providing specialized instructions to decrease the patient’s risk of being admitted again for heart failure. In addition, our recruitment of four hospitalists (hospital based internists who solely work in the hospital on rotating shifts) has greatly improved the continuity of care.
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