St. Clare Hospital awarded for cardiac patient care

Jul. 26--SSM Health St. Clare Hospital in Baraboo has received top honors for cardiac care by the American Heart Association for the fourth year in a row.

The hospital received the national Gold Plus Quality Achievement award again this year for treating heart failure patients in an appropriate and timely manner. A hospital is awarded the Gold Plus Quality Achievement award when it follows the national guidelines for 24 or more consecutive months, according to the American Heart Association award criteria.

"We use nationally recognized guidelines so that we can give the best care to our heart failure patients," said Heather Alloway, the hospital's chronic disease coordinator.

The program monitors patients with chronic conditions, but mostly focuses on patients admitted to the emergency department. It looks at ensuring they are prescribed the correct medications, educating patients on heart failure and finding the best potential treatment plans.

At St. Clare, the program focuses on close monitoring of patients, both while they are in the hospital and after they have been released to ensure proper care.

"We want to make sure that they don't get into these problems again," Alloway said. "And that they have a better quality of life and are healthier."

According to the American Heart Association website, other hospitals in Wisconsin that received the Gold Plus Quality Achievement award were UnityPoint Health Meriter in Madison, MercyHealth Hospital and Trauma Center in Janesville and St. Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac.

"It feels great," Alloway said. "We've received the Gold Plus recognition since 2016."

St. Clare Hospital also is certified in heart failure care by the Joint Commission, a nonprofit organization that sets health care standards, according to Alloway.

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