The American Heart Association (AHA) has recognized more than 3,000 health care organizations nationwide for their commitment to improving outcomes for patients with heart disease, stroke, and related conditions through its Get With The Guidelines quality improvement programs. This recognition underscores the critical importance of evidence-based, coordinated care in combating cardiovascular disease, which remains the leading cause of death in the United States, according to the AHA's 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics.
Get With The Guidelines programs assist health care teams in applying the latest scientific evidence to treatment decisions, ensuring that care is timely, consistent, and aligned with proven standards. The awards span clinical areas such as stroke, heart failure, heart attack, cardiac arrest, Type 2 diabetes, and atrial fibrillation, with recognition levels from Bronze to Gold Plus based on performance and duration of achievement.
This year, 222 hospitals are being recognized with the Commitment to Quality award, up from 158 in the award's inaugural year. This award highlights organizations demonstrating high performance across at least three clinical areas. "Improving outcomes for cardiovascular disease takes coordinated, high-quality care across the entire continuum," said Karen Joynt-Maddox, M.D., MPH, volunteer chair of the AHA's Quality Oversight Committee and associate professor at Washington University School of Medicine. "The organizations recognized this year are applying the latest science, strengthening systems of care, and working together to ensure more patients receive the right treatment at the right time, every time."
In addition to the Get With The Guidelines awards, 624 agencies received Mission: Lifeline EMS awards for providing rapid, research-based care to patients experiencing severe heart attacks and strokes. Another 47 sites received Mission: Lifeline Regional recognition for their commitment to collaborating with referring and receiving hospitals and EMS to establish systems of care based on the most current guidelines. The Mission: Lifeline program aims to reduce barriers to prompt treatment, from the moment 911 is called through hospital discharge.
New for this year is the Target: Aortic Stenosis Honor Roll, an initiative to improve detection and treatment of aortic stenosis, a common and often underdiagnosed heart valve disease that affects more than 1.7 million Americans over age 65. Forty-one organizations received this recognition. Edwards Lifesciences is the national sponsor of the initiative.
Studies show that following guideline-directed care can help patients recover faster, reduce complications, and lower the risk of hospital readmission. The increasing number of recognized organizations indicates a growing momentum among health care teams to standardize care, reduce variation, and improve patient outcomes. The full list of recipients is available on U.S. News & World Report, and more information about the AHA's quality improvement efforts can be found at heart.org/quality.
