Beta Blocker Prescribed at Discharge from any HealthONE Hospital

Timeframe: January 2011 through March 2011
(Most Recent Data Available)

Timeframe: October 2009 through September 2010
(Yearly National and State Comparison)

What Does This Measure?

The percentage of eligible heart attack patients who were prescribed beta blockers when they were discharged from the hospital.

Why Is This Important?

Beta blockers are a type of prescription medicine that lowers blood pressure, treats chest pain and reduces further heart damage after a heart attack.

Beta blockers reduce the force with which the heart pumps blood so that the heart doesn’t have to work as hard. Most heart attack patients should be prescribed beta blockers when they are released from the hospital.

What Are We Doing to Improve Our Performance?

HealthONE hospitals have implemented several initiatives to improve our performance on this measure. These include:

• Electronic medication records
• Evidence-based medicine
• Nurse and physician training
• Patient safety and quality committee