Beaufort Memorial Recognized by American Heart Association for Commitment to Quality

Heart, stroke programs also earn gold, silver honors for achievement

The American Heart Association has awarded Beaufort Memorial with its new Commitment to Quality award for high performance across three or more clinical areas in the Get With The Guidelines® program for heart and stroke care.

Beaufort Memorial is among just 158 hospitals nationwide that met the criteria for the Commitment to Quality award. Hospitals earning this new award demonstrate a comprehensive approach to quality improvement. By participating in three or more Get With The Guidelines programs, they commit to using real-time data registries, evidence-based protocols and cross-disciplinary teamwork to raise the standard of care across multiple specialties. In 2025, Beaufort Memorial reached achievement levels in five clinical areas.

"Beaufort Memorial has always been dedicated to treating the whole patient, not just the condition," said Beaufort Memorial President and CEO Russell Baxley. "Our organization is focused on continuous improvement and delivering the highest quality care across every department, and this award means that we have made huge strides in coordinating care across our service lines, resulting in better outcomes for our patients here in the Lowcountry."

Get With the Guidelines is the American Heart Association’s hospital-based quality improvement initiative that helps ensure patients are treated in accordance with the most up-to-date, research-based guidelines. Participating hospitals benefit from tools, resources and peer benchmarking to drive better patient outcomes.

"This award highlights Beaufort Memorial’s impressive commitment to improving care across multiple disciplines," said Donald Lloyd-Jones, past volunteer president of the American Heart Association and current volunteer chair of the Association’s Quality Oversight Committee. "By taking a systems-level approach to quality, these hospitals are building a foundation for better outcomes, fewer complications and stronger communities."

Get With The Guidelines awards are given for conditions including stroke, heart failure, coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation and resuscitation. Award levels range from Bronze to Gold Plus status, depending on how long and how consistently a care team meets key measures.

Hospitals receiving the Commitment to Quality award achieved Silver awards or higher in at least three American Heart Association programs for 2025. This year, Beaufort Memorial received these achievement awards:

• Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus — Hospitals earning this award are recognized for two or more consecutive years of 85% or higher adherence on all achievement measures applicable, and 75% or higher adherence with other stroke quality measures.
• Get With The Guidelines Rural Stroke Gold — Beaufort Memorial adhered to two or more consecutive calendar years of 75% or higher adherence to the identified composite score for rural measures.
• Get With The Guidelines Coronary Artery Disease NSTEMI Gold — These hospitals are recognized for achieving 65% adherence to Dual Antiplatelet prescription at discharge and 85% or higher compliance on each of the four performance measures for two or more consecutive calendar years.
• Get With The Guidelines Coronary Artery Disease Rural Coronary Artery Disease STEMI Silver — These hospitals are recognized for one calendar year of 75% or higher adherence to the identified composite score for rural awards.
• Get With The Guidelines Rural Heart Failure Silver — This recognition is for one calendar year of 75% or higher adherence to the identified composite score for rural measures.

Heart disease and stroke are the number 1 and number 5 causes of death in the United States, respectively, reports the American Heart Association. Studies show patients can recover better when their healthcare providers consistently follow treatment guidelines.

These awards in areas of patient care are some of the highest that hospital systems can receive, Baxley said.

"Our commitment to quality, patient-centered care and cross-departmental coordination are reflected in these awards," Baxley said. "We are proud to be nationally recognized for that commitment with these five awards."

Beaufort Memorial departments that held key roles in achieving the American Heart Association's Commitment to Quality celebrated this recognition.

Emergency Department	Cath Lab
Nuclear Medicine	Pharmacy
Heart Specialists	LifeFit - Cardiac Rehab
3T - Medical/Surgical and Pediatrics Unit