Get With The Guidelines

The American Heart Association presents the Get With The Guidelines^® awards for proven dedication to best practices and life-saving care

SPRINGFIELD, Mass — Baystate Health has received three American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines^® achievement awards for demonstrating commitment to following up-to-date, research-based guidelines for the treatment of stroke, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer readmissions to the hospital.

Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death in the United States, respectively, according to the American Heart Association 2025 Statistical Update. Studies show patients can recover better when providers consistently follow treatment guidelines.

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 evidence- and research-based guidelines. As a participant in the Get With The Guidelines programs, Baystate Health qualified for the awards by demonstrating how their organization has committed to improving quality care.

“Baystate Health is committed to improving care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines and streamlining processes to ensure timely and proper care for strokes in providing timely intervention for strokes across all Baystate health hospitals that integrate streamlined systems of care designed to facilitate such high-quality stroke care,” said Dr. Rajiv Padmanabhan, Stroke Director, Baystate Health. “Get With The Guidelines programs make it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, which helps us ensure more people in the Springfield area experience longer, healthier lives.”

“When someone has a stroke, every second counts. Baystate Health is committed to improving patient outcomes by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines in providing timely intervention for strokes utilizing streamlined stroke care delivery systems designed to facilitate such high-quality stroke care,” continued Dr. Padmanabhan. In addition to the acute care for stroke, Baystate Health offers stroke continuity clinics to improve stroke care outcomes and prevention, and participates in community stroke education programs to aid in faster recognition of strokes.”

This year, Baystate Health received these achievement awards:

• Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite with Advanced Therapy with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
  • Baystate Medical Center
• Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
  • Baystate Franklin Medical Center
  • Baystate Wing Hospital 

“These awards show Baystate Health's commitment to caring for those in their community who need cardiovascular care,” said Donald Lloyd-Jones, past volunteer president of the American Heart Association and current volunteer chair of the Association’s Quality Oversight Committee. “By following the American Heart Association’s quality improvement protocols, Baystate Health can help realize our shared vision of improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates — a win for health care systems, families and communities.”