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Awards and Accreditations

BMC Recognized by Heart Association in US News Best Hospitals Issue
August 2, 2011 For Immediate Release Berkshire Medical Center Recognized Nationally for Implementing Quality Cardiac Care: BMC PITTSFIELD, MA — Berkshire Medical Center has been recognized in the Best Hospitals Issue of US News & World Report by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association for its performance in treating heart failure and stroke patients using the association’s Get With The Guidelines® program. BMC, a national leader in the Get With The Guidelines program, is recognized as having achieved Gold Plus recognition, the highest level of achievement, for two or more consecutive years of adherence in heart failure and stroke. BMC was the first hospital in the United States to be honored with awards for both stroke and heart failure, holding seven consecutive yearly awards for outstanding care of stroke patients and six consecutive yearly awards for care of patients with heart failure. BMC joins other performance achieving hospitals featured in an insert in the August “America’s Best Hospitals” issue of US News & World Report. 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. Upon meeting each module’s criteria, hospitals are recognized if at least 85 percent of their heart failure or stroke patients are treated and discharged according to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s recommendations, which lead to better patient outcomes. “The American Heart Association is pleased to recognize its top Get With The Guidelines participants,” said. Lee Schwamm, MD, national chairman of the Get With The Guidelines steering committee, associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and Vice Chairman of Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital. “Healthcare providers who use Get With The Guidelines are armed with the latest evidence-based guidelines and immediate access to clinical decision support, using a set of tools that have been shown to improve delivery of evidence-based care. The goal of this initiative is to improve the quality of life and help reduce deaths and disability among patients with heart disease and stroke.”