January 2011 - December 2011

The rates displayed in this graph are for discharges January 2011 - December 2011. Source: hospitalcompare.hhs.gov.
The national average includes all reporting hospitals in the United States. The State average includes all reporting hospitals in the State of Wisconsin.

What does this data measure?
The percentage of eligible heart attack patients who were prescribed aspirin on discharge.

Why is this important?
Heart attacks often occur when blood clots cause blockages in blood vessels, depriving the heart of sufficient oxygen. Although it is not appropriate for all patients, aspirin has been proven as a safe and effective way to prevent blood clots and dissolve blood clots that have already formed. Long-term use of aspirin after a heart attack reduces the risk of another heart attack.

What are we doing to improve our performance?
Wheaton hospitals have implemented many initiatives to improve our performance including:

• Inclusion of heart attack measures on our system Clinical Excellence Scorecard
• Computerized provider order entry (CPOE)
• Electronic health record (EHR)
• Standardized order sets
• Discharge instructions and patient education information 
• Nursing and physician education
• Patient rounding