Cheyenne Regional Medical Center Receives National Recognition for Commitment to Providing High-quality Heart Failure Care

July 19, 2022

Cheyenne, WY—Cheyenne Regional Medical Center officials announced today that CRMC has received the American Heart Association’s Gold Plus Get With The Guidelines^®-Heart Failure quality achievement award.

The award recognizes CRMC’s commitment to ensuring heart failure patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, with the goal of reducing hospital readmissions for heart failure patients and helping them have more healthy days at home.

This is the fourth consecutive year that CRMC has received the AHA’s Gold Plus award for heart failure care.

CRMC earned the award by meeting specific AHA Get With The Guidelines measures for the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure patients. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and aggressive risk-reduction therapies. Before leaving the hospital, patients are also required to receive education on managing their heart failure and overall health, be given required transition interventions and schedule a follow-up visit with their healthcare provider.

“Our goal is to provide outstanding care to patients with heart failure and to ensure that our community can rely on that care,” said Dr. Abdelhadi Rifai, a cardiologist with the Cheyenne Regional Heart & Vascular Institute and the medical director of the Institute’s heart failure treatment program. “Following the American Heart Association’s guidelines is helping us achieve this goal.”

Heart failure is a condition in which the heart has a hard time pumping blood and oxygen throughout the body. About 6.5 million adults in the United States are living with heart failure, according to the AHA.

“While there is no cure for heart failure, many patients can lead a full life if they work with their healthcare team to create and follow a plan that may include medications and device implantation as well as symptoms monitoring and healthy lifestyle changes,” Dr. Rifai said.
CRMC’s recognition also included selection to the AHA’s honor roll for type 2 diabetes treatment for ensuring patients with this condition receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to heart disease or stroke.

“We are pleased to recognize the leaders and teams at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center for a strong commitment to caring for people with heart failure,” said Clyde W. Yancy, MD, MSc, MACC, FAHA, MACP, FHFSA, national chairperson of the AHA Heart Failure systems of care advisory group and chief of the division of cardiology at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine. “Hospitals that participate in Get With the Guidelines quality improvement programs often see better patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates—a win for healthcare systems, families and communities.”

About Get With The Guidelines
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.