The Awards Keep Coming: Research Medical Center Nationally Recognized for Outstanding Cardiovascular Care

Research Medical Center (Kansas City, MO) has received four American Heart Association (AHA) Get With The Guidelines and Mission: Lifeline achievement awards for its commitment to following the latest, research-based guidelines for the treatment of heart disease and stroke, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times, and fewer readmissions to the hospital.

The stroke program at Research is managed by CarePoint Blue Sky Neurosciences (CPN) clinicians: Stroke Medical Director Anthony Harrington, MD; Dan Kaplan, DO; Ala Saleh, MD; Neena Viswanathan, MD; Isabella Baldacci, PA; and Miranda Wahn, FNP.

Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke or heart attack, and heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 5 causes of death in the country, respectively. Studies show patients can recover better when providers consistently follow treatment guidelines.

Get With The Guidelines and Mission: Lifeline programs put the expertise of AHA and the American Stroke Association (ASA) to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest evidence- and research-based guidelines. As a participant in Get With The Guidelines programs, Research qualified for the awards by demonstrating how it has committed to improving quality care.

“Research Medical Center, in partnership with Carepoint Blue Sky Neurosciences, is committed to improving care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines and streamlining processes to ensure timely and proper care for strokes,” Dr. Harrington said.

Research received these Get With The Guidelines awards:

• Gold Plus Recognition: Hospitals that receive the Gold Plus Achievement Award have reached an aggressive goal of treating patients to core standard levels of care as outlined by AHA/ASA for two consecutive calendar years or more. In addition, these hospitals have demonstrated compliance to an additional level of heart failure quality during the 24-month or greater period.
• Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus: This award is given to hospitals that achieve Time to Intravenous Thrombolytic Therapy ≤ 60 minutes in 75% of eligible patients treated in equal to or less than 45 minutes AND 50% of eligible patients treated in equal to or less than 30 minutes to improve quality of patient care and outcomes.
• Target: Stroke Honor Roll Advanced Therapy: This award is presented to hospitals that achieve Door to Needle & Door to Device in ≤ 90 minutes in 50% of patients arriving directly and Door to Needle & Door to Device in ≤ 60 minutes in 50% of transfer patients to improve quality of patient care and outcomes.
• Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll (Stroke): This award is given to hospitals that qualify for Silver level or higher achievement award in Get With The Guidelines - Stroke and achieve an Overall Diabetes Cardiovascular Initiative Composite Score of ≥ 80%.

“We are pleased to recognize Research Medical Center for its commitment to caring for those in their community who need cardiovascular care,” said John Warner, MD, FAHA, past president of AHA and executive vice president for health system affairs at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. “Hospitals that follow the American Heart Association’s quality improvement protocols often see improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions, and lower mortality rates — a win for healthcare systems, families, and communities.”

In addition to the recent Get With The Guidelines awards haul, Research has received Healthgrades’ No. 1 ranking for stroke care in Missouri two years in a row (2023 and 2024).

Despite having managed Research’s stroke program only since 2021, the CPN team has delivered a transformative impact at the 590-bed hospital.