Methodist Fremont Health Nationally Recognized for Quality Heart Care in Rural Areas

For efforts in optimizing acute cardiac care and eliminating rural cardiac outcome disparities, Methodist Fremont Health has been awarded two bronze American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines^® - Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Rural Recognitions. These bronze awards – which are a hard-won first for Methodist Fremont Health – recognize the hospital for its response to suspected non ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) and ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

People who live in rural communities live an average of three years fewer than their urban counterparts and have a 40% higher likelihood of developing heart disease. Methodist Fremont Health is committed to changing that.

“It’s humbling to finally be recognized for the relentless, lifesaving work our team provides those in Fremont and surrounding areas,” said Brian Brodd, director of cardiopulmonary services at Methodist Fremont Health. “As a hospital in a rural community, we are consistently challenged by proximity to facilities with interventional cardiac services. We've made it our mission to make sure that this hurdle doesn’t affect the standard of care our patients receive.”

The American Heart Association recognizes the importance of rural hospitals that play a vital role in the initiation of timely evidence-based care. Methodist Fremont Health’s achievements were based on composite score compliance to several guideline-directed care metrics, including early electrocardiograms; early cardiac testing; appropriate anticoagulant/antiplatelet medication administration; timely emergency department throughput, timely initiation of inter-facility hospital transfer, appropriate follow-up care and more.

“Residents in rural communities deserve high-quality emergency cardiac care,” said Brett Richmond, president and CEO of Methodist Fremont Health. “The people in every rural community we serve are truly an extension of our family, and we exist to give them the best chance of survival and the best possible quality of life. I'm proud of our team for their commitment to such excellence.”

“Patients and health care professionals in Fremont and its surrounding areas face unique health care challenges and opportunities,” said Karen E. Joynt Maddox, M.D., MPH, volunteer expert for the American Heart Association, co-author on “Call to Action: Rural Health: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association” and co-director of the Center for Health Economics and Policy at the Institute for Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. “Methodist Fremont Health has furthered this important work to improve care for all Americans, regardless of where they live.”