ACE Inhibitor or ARB Prescribed on Discharge from the Hospital
Why is this important?
An ACE Inhibitor (angiotensin-converting enzyme) or ARB (angiotensin receptor blocker) are types of medicine used to treat heart attacks, heart failure and problems associated with the left side of the heart. The drug works by stopping the production of a hormone that narrows blood vessels. If taken within 24 hours of experiencing heart attack symptoms, ACE Inhibitors or ARBs can help to reduce the risk of death. Continuing to take ACE Inhibitors or ARBs may help to prevent heart failure. Most heart failure patients should receive a prescription for an ACE Inhibitor or ARB before leaving the hospital.
How WellSpan Compares
Last year, York Hospital and Gettysburg Hospital treated 921 patients with heart failure. The following shows the percentage of patients (for whom ACE Inhibitors or ARBs were appropriate) who were given a prescription for ACE Inhibitors or ARBs upon discharge.
Not every heart failure patient should receive an ACE Inhibitor or ARB. In fact, WellSpan uses a set of standard criteria to determine whether or not patients should be given an ACE inhibitor or ARB. Occasionally, a physician will determine that a patient who meets the criteria still should not receive an ACE Inhibitor, based on the patient’s individual condition. The data below do not reflect these situations.
Unit of Measurement:
Percentage
A higher score is better than a lower score.
What we are doing to improve our performance.
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York Hospital’s outpatient Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) clinic at Apple Hill supports patients with education regarding diet, weight, medication compliance, when to call a doctor and how to stay out of the hospital.
A team of WellSpan doctors, nurses and other care givers, known as the “Congestive Heart Failure Clinical Effectiveness Team,” meets regularly to review important information and strategies for improving care for CHF patients. So far, the team has revised and standardized forms doctors and nurses use and the procedures they follow to make sure that everyone who should receive an ACE Inhibitor (angiotensin-converting enzyme) does receive a prescription for an ACE Inhibitor when they are discharged from the hospital. WellSpan will continue to monitor the success of these changes and recommend other improvement steps as follows:
· Educated doctors and nurses on how to identify the causes of CHF
· Efforts are under way to improve WellSpan’s depth of information on all of the patient’s medications.
· An education packet is provided to each heart failure patient prior to discharge. This material covers what heart failure is and what the treatment goals are. WellSpan has developed a “heart care plan” notebook for each patient that includes the patient education packet, important documents and communication forms. Each patient receives one, keeps it as a resource and takes it to their family doctor appointments to make sure all care providers are working toward the same patient goals. |
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