Upstate University Hospital got the good news this week that it has attained a Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award from the American Heart Association for excellence in the treatment of patients with heart failure.

Upstate University Hospital also has a Gold Plus award for excellence in the treatment of patients with strokes.

To get gold plus status, a hospital must "Get with the Guidelines," the association's quality improvement initiative, providing hospital staff with evidence-based guidelines for caring for patients with heart failure, stroke, and other cardiovascular problems. The Guidelines are designed to improve outcomes, prevent future hospitalizations and prolong life.

To be gold plus in heart failure, a hospital must achieve 85 percent or higher adherence to all of the association's "Get With The Guidelines" indicators for two or more consecutive 12-month intervals and achieve 75 percent or higher compliance with four of nine quality measures. Following the Guidelines, heart failure patients are started on aggressive risk reduction therapies such as cholesterol-lowering drugs, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, aspirin, diuretics, and anticoagulants during their hospital stay.

Learn about Upstate's Heart and Vascular Center.

Learn about Upstate's Stroke Center.