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Hamilton Medical Center Nationally Recognized for Commitment to Providing High-Quality Stroke Care

Hamilton Medical Center (HMC) has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke quality achievement award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.

HMC also recently earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval as an Advanced Primary Stroke Center.

Hamilton Medical Center was recently recognized for high-quality stroke care. Stroke care specialists are pictured. In the front, from left, are Meagan Darnell, Sara Kate Rogers, Sumaiya Khondker, MD, and Camrie Ackerman. In the back are Beanie Jones, Laura Calderon, Kendall Black and Heather Wibberding.

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.

Are you at risk for a stroke?

Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research- and evidence-based guidelines. 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.

an Darnell, MSN, RN

“Hamilton is committed to providing excellent patient care,” said Meagan Darnell, Stroke Program coordinator. “Get With The Guidelines makes it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge to work on a daily basis, which studies show can help patients recover better. The end goal is to continue providing quality healthcare, ensuring more people in this area can experience longer, healthier lives.”

Each year, program participants qualify for the award by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke 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.

“We are incredibly pleased to recognize Hamilton Medical Center for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, MD, chairperson of the Stroke System of Care Advisory Group. “Participation in Get With The Guidelines is associated with improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates – a win for health care systems, families and communities.”

Additionally, HMC received the Association’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll recognition. To qualify for the Stroke Honor Roll Elite recognition, hospitals must meet specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster alteplase. The Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll recognition aims to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke.

Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 12 million patients since 2001.

Hamilton Medical Center Among Nation’s Top Performing Hospitals For Treatment of Heart Attack Patients

Hamilton Medical Center (HMC) has received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain  ̶  MI Registry Gold Performance Achievement Award for 2022. Hamilton Medical Center is one of only 81 hospitals nationwide to receive the honor.

The award recognizes HMC’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients and signifies that HMC has reached an aggressive goal of treating these patients to standard levels of care as outlined by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association clinical guidelines and recommendations.

Hamilton Medical Center was recently recognized for a high standard of care for heart attack patients. In the front, from left, are Heather Wibberding, RN; Gary Olson, MD; Preethi Padmanaban, MD; Tammy Stewart, cardiovascular resource specialist; and Kristie Stiles, RN. In the back are Alex Hawkins, monitor tech; Kelvin Moss, MD; Aubrey Cawthon, MD; Ezad Ahmad, MD; Harveer Mann, MD; and Rajiv Verma, MD.

To receive the Chest Pain  ̶  MI Registry Gold Performance Achievement Award, Hamilton has demonstrated sustained achievement in the Chest Pain  ̶  MI Registry for two consecutive years (2020 and 2021), and performed at the top level for specific performance measures. Full participation in the registry engages hospitals in a robust quality improvement process using data to drive improvements in adherence to guideline recommendations and overall quality of care provided to heart attack patients.

“It is an honor to award Hamilton with the Gold Performance Award for their valuable national leadership and dedication to meeting comprehensive performance measures in patient care,” said Michael C. Kontos, MD, FACC, chair of the NCDR Chest Pain – MI Registry Steering Subcommittee, and cardiologist at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. “The receipt of this award indicates that hamilton remains committed to providing top quality, guideline-driven care for heart attack patients. Their success ensures patients are receiving the highest quality cardiovascular care.”

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that over 800,000 Americans suffer a heart attack each year. A heart attack occurs when a blood clot in a coronary artery partially or completely blocks blood flow to the heart muscle. Treatment guidelines include administering aspirin upon arrival and discharge, timely restoration of blood flow to the blocked artery, smoking cessation counseling and cardiac rehabilitation, among others.

Chest Pain  ̶  MI Registry empowers health care provider teams to consistently treat heart attack patients according to the most current, science-based guidelines and establishes a national standard for understanding and improving the quality, safety and outcomes of care provided for patients with coronary artery disease, specifically high-risk heart attack patients.

As the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team, the mission of the American College of Cardiology and its more than 56,000 members is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC bestows credentials upon cardiovascular professionals who meet stringent qualifications and leads in the formation of health policy, standards, and guidelines. The College also provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research through its world-renowned JACC Journals, operates national registries to measure and improve care, and offers cardiovascular accreditation to hospitals and institutions.

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Hamilton Celebrating Cardiac Rehabilitation Week

Hamilton Medical Center (HMC) is recognizing its Cardiac Rehabilitation Program during Cardiac Rehab Week, Feb. 13-19.
 
Cardiac Rehab at Bradley Wellness Center is a 12-week, medically supervised program for the recovering cardiac patient. The program includes monitored exercises, educational sessions, dietary consults and behavioral change interventions. The goal of this program is to equip the patient with the necessary tools to be able to make the appropriate choices and changes to help increase his or her physical, mental and emotional well-being.

group photo of cardiac rehab staff
The Hamilton Medical Center Cardiac Rehabilitation team is pictured. From left are Lori Epps, Tina Haithcock, Emily Cornelius, Palak Patel, Debbie Duckett and Tori McDaniel.

The program includes:
• Initial interview with a cardiac rehabilitation specialist who will carefully evaluate the needs of the patient and recommend an individualized program
• Personal, supervised, monitored exercise sessions
• Patient and family education (individual and group sessions)
• Cholesterol testing
• Nutritional counseling
• Assistance in developing a safe home exercise program
• Encouragement and support from the staff.


Hamilton’s cardiac team consists of physicians, a registered nurse, exercise physiologists, and a registered dietitian who work together to provide specialized services including exercise prescriptions, dietary consults and education on various health topics for the patient and their family.


HMC’s cardiac rehabilitation is covered by most insurance plans. For more information, call 706-272-6574 or visit bradleywell.com/cardiac-rehab.

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Hamilton To Offer Take It To Heart Program

Hamilton Medical Center (HMC) will offer its next Take it to Heart Program on Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 26 at scheduled times. The program includes a free cardiac risk assessment and information to help you prevent future heart problems.

Stephen Rohn, MD

“By knowing your risk, you can take steps to avoid heart disease,” said Stephen Rohn, MD, cardiologist at Hamilton Physician Group – Cardiology.

Take it to Heart is a two-part program. The first part consists of an educational seminar in the Brown Auditorium at HMC, presented by Rohn.  His presentation includes education on causes, risk and genetic factors, diet, exercise, symptoms, treatments and medications.

The second part, held at Hamilton Diagnostics Center, is a cardiac risk assessment including blood pressure, calcium scoring, lab work (total cholesterol and HDL), height, weight and a series of questions.

This program is free and open to anyone who has not participated in Take it to Heart in the last five years, is not currently being treated by a cardiologist, has not had stents put in, and has at least two of the following risk factors: Family history of heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, history of smoking and being overweight.

A physician’s order for the cardiac scoring is required. Please have your physician send the order to Hamilton Diagnostics Center on or before Feb. 22 in order to receive a free CT scan. If you do not have a primary care provider, please call 706-272-6114. Fasting for lab assessment is required.

If you would like to attend this event and need assistance with interpretation services and/or auxiliary aids, please indicate when registering.

To register or for more information, call 706-272-6114. Space has been limited more than usual due to COVID safety precautions.

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Dr. George Leef Joins Hamilton Physician Group – Cardiology

George Leef, MD, says cardiology is exciting to him.

“It’s not enough to just know what’s going on with someone’s health,” he says. “What excites me is that, in cardiology, there’s a lot we can do.”

Leef is a non-invasive cardiologist at Hamilton Physician Group – Cardiology in Dalton, GA.

George Leef best non-invasive cardiologist chattanooga

He says his patient care philosophy is based on serving as an advisor.

“I see my role as understanding what the patients’ concerns are, why they’ve come to see me, and then providing my best guidance on how to address their problems,” he says.

Leef attended medical school at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in Pittsburgh, Penn., completed his residency training in internal medicine at Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., and his fellowship in cardiology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md.

He says he appreciates the logical, mathematical nature of cardiology. “The cardiovascular system is driven by physics, pressures and flows, and once you understand it, it all fits together beautifully,” he says. It just makes intuitive sense to me.”

In his spare time, Leef enjoys playing classical piano. He has been playing piano since age 4.

“I really like that Hamilton is a place that is growing, expanding and actively offering the best in cardiology care,” Leef says.

To schedule an appointment with Leef, call Hamilton Physician Group – Cardiology at 706-226-3434.

Hamilton to Offer Take it to Heart Program

Ji Hyun Lee, MD
Ji Hyun Lee, MD

Hamilton Medical Center (HMC) will offer its next Take it to Heart Program on Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 6 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 2 at scheduled times. The program includes a free cardiac risk assessment and information to help you prevent future heart problems.

“By knowing your risk, you can take steps to avoid heart disease,” said Ji Hyun Lee, MD, cardiologist.

Take it to Heart is a two-part program. The first part consists of an educational seminar in the Brown Auditorium at HMC, presented by Lee.  Her presentation includes education on causes, risk and genetic factors, diet, exercise, symptoms, treatments and medications.

The second part, held at Hamilton Diagnostics Center, is a cardiac risk assessment including blood pressure, calcium scoring, lab work (total cholesterol and HDL), height, weight and a series of questions.

This program is free and open to anyone who has not participated in Take it to Heart in the last five years, is not currently being treated by a cardiologist, has not had stents put in, and has at least two of the following risk factors: Family history of heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, history of smoking and being overweight.

A physician’s order for the cardiac scoring is required. Please have your physician send the order to Hamilton Diagnostics Center on or before Oct. 29 in order to receive a free CT scan. If you do not have a primary care provider, please call 706-272-6114. Fasting for assessment is required.

If you would like to attend this event and need assistance with interpretation services and/or auxiliary aids, please indicate when registering.

To register or for more information, call 706-272-6114. Space is limited.

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Hamilton Emergency Medical Services Receives American Heart 
Association’s Mission: Lifeline EMS Gold Plus Recognition Award

Hamilton Emergency Medical Services has received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® EMS Gold Plus Award for implementing quality improvement measures for the treatment of patients who experience severe heart attacks.

 

Every year, more than 250,000 people experience an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the deadliest type of heart attack caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it’s critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible, either by mechanically opening the blocked vessel or by providing clot-busting medication.

 

The Mission: Lifeline initiative provides tools, training and other resources to support heart attack care following protocols from the most recent evidence-based treatment guidelines. Mission: Lifeline’s EMS recognition program recognizes emergency medical services for their efforts in improving systems of care to rapidly identify suspected heart attack patients, promptly notify the medical center and trigger an early response from the awaiting hospital personnel.

 

“EMTs and paramedics play a vital part in the system of care for those who have heart attacks,” said Tim Henry, MD, chair of the Mission: Lifeline Acute Coronary Syndrome Subcommittee. “Since they often are the first medical point of contact, they can save precious minutes of treatment time by activating the emergency response system that alerts hospitals to an incoming heart attack patient. We applaud Hamilton Emergency Medical Services for achieving this award in following evidence-based guidelines in the treatment of people who have severe heart attacks.”

 

The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® program helps hospitals and emergency

medical services develop systems of care that follow proven standards and procedures for acute coronary syndrome patients. The program works by mobilizing teams across the continuum of care to implement American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology clinical treatment guidelines.

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Hamilton Health Care System receives Get With The Guidelines Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award

Hamilton Health Care System Stroke Team
Some members of Hamilton Medical Center’s Stroke Team are pictured. From left are Meagan Darnell, Sara Kate Rogers, Brianne Terry, Jeffrey Glass, MD, Sally Bates and Shelby Tavares. Not pictured is Gerrie Haley.

Hamilton Health Care System has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.

 

Hamilton Medical Center earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. Before discharge, patients should also receive education on managing their health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.

 

“Hamilton is dedicated to improving the quality of care for our stroke patients by implementing the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke initiative,” said Meagan Darnell, Stroke Program coordinator. “The tools and resources provided help us track and measure our success in meeting evidenced-based clinical guidelines developed to improve patient outcomes.”

 

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.

 

“We are pleased to recognize Hamilton Medical Center for their commitment to stroke care,” said Lee H. Schwamm, MD, national chairperson of the Quality Oversight Committee and executive vice chair of Neurology, director of Acute Stroke Services, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Mass. “Research has shown that hospitals adhering to clinical measures through the Get With The Guidelines quality improvement initiative can often see fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates.”

 

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Hamilton to Offer Take It to Heart Program

Stephen Rohn, MD, FACCHamilton Medical Center (HMC) will offer its next Take it to Heart Program on Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 23 at scheduled times. The program includes a free cardiac risk assessment and information to help you prevent future heart problems.

“By knowing your risk, you can take steps to avoid heart disease,” said Stephen Rohn, MD, cardiologist.

Take it to Heart is a two-part program. The first part consists of an educational seminar in the Brown Auditorium at HMC, presented by Rohn.  His presentation includes education on causes, risk and genetic factors, diet, exercise, symptoms, treatments and medications.

The second part, held at Hamilton Diagnostics Center, is a cardiac risk assessment including blood pressure, calcium scoring, lab work (total cholesterol and HDL), height, weight and a series of questions.

This program is free and open to anyone who has not participated in Take it to Heart in the last five years, is not currently being treated by a cardiologist, has not had stents put in, and has at least two of the following risk factors: Family history of heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, history of smoking and being overweight.

A physician’s order for the cardiac scoring is required. Please have your physician send the order to Hamilton Diagnostics Center on or before Feb. 19 in order to receive a free CT scan. If you do not have a primary care provider, please call 706-272-6114. Fasting for assessment is required.

If you would like to attend this event and need assistance with interpretation services and/or auxiliary aids, please indicate when registering.

To register or for more information, call 706-272-6114. Space is limited.

Increased risk for heart disease

  • Family history of heart disease
  • Smoking
  • High blood cholesterol
  • High blood pressure
  • Physical inactivity
  • Obesity
  • Diabetes
  • Poor response to stress
  • Drinking too much alcohol