MUSC is nationally recognized for high quality stroke care, cardiac arrest

Charleston, S.C. (Sept. 11, 2024) – MUSC Health has received multiple awards from the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines program for demonstrating a commitment to following up-to-date, research-based guidelines for treating stroke and in-hospital cardiac arrest. These efforts improve patient care and outcomes and ultimately lead to more lives saved.

MUSC received the following achievement awards:

MUSC Health University Medical Center
- Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Gold Plus
  - Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite
  - Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
MUSC Health-Orangeburg
- Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Gold Plus
  - Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite
  - Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
- Get With The Guidelines – Resuscitation Silver (Adult)
MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center
- Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Gold Plus
  - Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
- Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Rural Silver

“MUSC is committed to improving patient care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines,” said Christina Blake, cerebrovascular program director for the MUSC Health Comprehensive Stroke Center. “Get With The Guidelines makes it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, which studies show can help patients recover better. The end goal is to ensure more people in South Carolina can experience longer, healthier lives.”

Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Gold Plus

According to the American Heart Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so brain cells die. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and accelerating recovery times.

Get With The Guidelines – Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.

The Gold award is the highest honor based on two consecutive calendar years.

Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Rural Silver

This award recognizes MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center for its efforts to optimize stroke care and eliminate health care outcome disparities. People who live in rural communities live an average of three years less than urban counterparts, have a 40% higher likelihood of developing heart disease and face a 30% increased risk for stroke mortality, according to the American Heart Association.

Get With The Guidelines – Resuscitation Silver (Adult)

Each year, more than 300,000 adults and children experience an in-hospital cardiac arrest. Survival from cardiac arrest largely depends on timely medical emergency team response and effective resuscitation (CPR).

The Get With The Guidelines – Resuscitation program guidelines follow protocols for patient safety, medical emergency team response, effective and timely CPR and post-resuscitation care.

MUSC Health-Orangeburg received the award for meeting specific measures in treatment of patients who experience cardiac arrest in the hospital.

The Silver award is the highest honor based on one year of data.

Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite

To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with thrombolytic therapy.

Target: Type 2 Diabetes

This award recognizes hospitals for providing the most up-to-date, evidence-based care for patients with Type 2 diabetes who are hospitalized with heart failure, heart attack or stroke.

Program participants qualify for the awards each year by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Get With The Guidelines participants also educate patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home.

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About MUSC

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the state’s only comprehensive academic health system, with a unique mission to preserve and optimize human life in South Carolina through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates more than 3,200 students in six colleges – Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy – and trains more than 900 residents and fellows in its health system. MUSC brought in more than $300 million in research funds in fiscal year 2023, leading the state overall in research funding. MUSC also leads the state in federal and National Institutes of Health funding. For information on academic programs, visit musc.edu.

As the health care system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest-quality and safest patient care while educating and training generations of outstanding health care providers and leaders to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Patient care is provided at 16 hospitals (includes owned or governing interest), with approximately 2,700 beds and four additional hospital locations in development, more than 350 telehealth sites and nearly 750 care locations situated in all regions of South Carolina. In 2024, for the 10th consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health University Medical Center in Charleston the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.

MUSC has a total enterprise annual operating budget of $5.9 billion. The 31,000 MUSC family members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers, scientists, students, contract employees, affiliates and care team members who deliver groundbreaking education, research and patient care.