For the first time, U.S. News & World Report has incorporated a treatment-based measure from the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke program into its national stroke hospital ratings. This new addition underscores the significance of data transparency and emphasizes the critical importance of timely, lifesaving treatment for stroke patients.
Historically, U.S. News has included hospitals’ public reporting status as a factor in its rankings. A public transparency measure, based on registry participation, contributes 2.5% to the publication’s Best Regional Hospitals rankings. This year, an extra 2.5% of each hospital’s stroke score will be determined by the speed at which eligible patients receive IV thrombolytics, a clot-dissolving medication used to treat ischemic stroke. Timely administration of this treatment is a crucial determinant of patient outcomes.
Data-Driven Improvements in Stroke Care
The data powering this new measure comes from the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines – Stroke registry. Hospitals that publicly report an 85% or higher rate of IV thrombolytic administration within 60 minutes of arrival receive full credit. Those with lower rates receive partial credit, while hospitals that do not report publicly receive no credit for this measure or the transparency measure.
Dr. Lee Schwamm, a volunteer with the American Heart Association who helped establish the Get With The Guidelines – Stroke program, highlighted the unique value of their data. “One of the biggest differentiating advantages of our data is that we capture reasons for non-treatment, which most electronic health records and other data sources lack. These data are critical in establishing the credibility of our quality measurement reporting systems,” Schwamm stated. He also serves as senior vice president and chief digital health officer at Yale New Haven Health System, and associate dean of digital strategy and transformation at Yale School of Medicine.
“We applaud U.S. News & World Report for including the time-to-thrombolytics measure — it speaks to the real-time impact of the Get With The Guidelines program and the Association’s role in improving health outcomes through accelerating the translation of evidence into practice in cardiovascular and stroke care.” — Dr. Lee Schwamm
Implications for Hospitals and Patients
Dr. Gregg Fonarow, another American Heart Association volunteer and member of the Association’s Stroke Systems of Care Advisory Group, emphasized the significance of this new ranking component. “This new ranking component helps validate the Association’s registry as a gold-standard resource and signals to hospitals the continued importance of stroke systems of care,” he noted. Fonarow is also the director of the Ahmanson-UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center and co-director of the Preventative Cardiology Program at UCLA.
Public reporting plays a vital role in advancing both hospital performance and patient empowerment. For hospitals, it fosters a team-based approach to accountability, showcases efforts to implement quality improvement initiatives, and helps identify areas needing attention. It also opens the door to inclusion in national hospital rankings, further incentivizing high-quality care. For individuals, public reporting offers a transparent snapshot of hospital performance, increasing awareness of key care measures and supporting more informed decision-making when choosing where to receive treatment.
By the Numbers: Hospitals publicly reporting an 85% or higher rate of IV thrombolytic administration within 60 minutes of arrival receive full credit.
Looking Ahead
The inclusion of the American Heart Association’s measure in U.S. News & World Report’s rankings represents a significant step forward in promoting transparency and improving stroke care outcomes. As hospitals strive to meet these standards, patients can expect more timely and effective treatment, ultimately leading to better health outcomes.
Learn more about the American Heart Association’s quality improvement initiatives at heart.org/quality.
