FAQ

1. What is the Get With The Guidelines®–Outpatient program, and why did the AHA develop it?

Get With The Guidelines–Outpatient is the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association’s new quality improvement program for the care of patients in the ambulatory setting.  The goal of the program is to improve health outcomes by providing you with tools that help you treat patients according to the latest scientific guidelines.

2. Who is eligible to participate in Get With The Guidelines–Outpatient?

Acute care facilities, physicians, assistants and advanced practice nurses practicing in cardiology, neurology, osteopathic medicine, family practice, general practice and internal medicine are eligible and are the most likely to reap the benefits of Get With The Guidelines–Outpatient.

3. What are the benefits to participating physicians/practices?

• Valuable analysis of patient care using proven guidelines known to improve quality of care
• Longitudinal care analysis
• Enhanced teamwork and camaraderie among staff as you improve performance together and celebrate measurable gains
• Official AHA recognition for commendable patient care
• Additional opportunity for you to secure financial incentives or reimbursements
• Professional education opportunities, including Webinars and networking events
• Full access to AHA patient education materials
• Ongoing contributions to research that can further scientific knowledge and improve standard medical practices

For more information about these benefits, click here.

4. What is the cost to participate in the program?

The AHA does not plan to charge participating healthcare professionals. EHR vendors, however, may need to cover costs for compatibility testing processes.

5. How does Get With The Guidelines–Outpatient help me achieve my business goals?

Get With The Guidelines–Outpatient can improve many aspects of your practice.  In addition to the primary goal of improving patient health, we help streamline your efforts to manage your practice effectively. Find out more about Get With The Guidelines–Outpatient business management.

6. What is the operational model of the Get With The Guidelines–Outpatient program?

Here are the key initial points established at the launch of the GWTG–Outpatient program.  We provide:

• Scientific analysis through Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI), a world leader in medical research
• Compatible platforms for seamless data transfer
• Quarterly feedback reports
• Peer recognition for reaching criteria
• Collective advocacy for participating practices backed by the AHA
• Secure and beneficial participation in DCRI’s national data analysis

For more details, click here.

7. What is the role of the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI)?

The Duke Clinical Research Institute is a non-profit organization whose mission is to share knowledge and improve patient care through innovative data analysis. DCRI is the largest organization of its kind and will provide data warehousing, analysis and confidential, secure reporting to participating physicians and program administrators. Visit this page for more information about DCRI’s role in Get With The Guidelines–Outpatient, or you may wish to visit the DCRI’s Web site.

8. Will this program help my practice move into an electronic health records (EHR) system?

Yes, for those practices now moving from paper records to electronic records, Get With The Guidelines–Outpatient can be integrated into your practice by choosing a vendor who is currently signed on to the Get With The Guidelines–Outpatient program. If you would like to read more about vendor selection, click here.

9. Can I participate in Get With The Guidelines–Outpatient if I am not utilizing electronic health records (EHR)?

No, the first step in participation is being willing to implement an electronic health record system.  Feedback thus far is that those who have made the transition are very pleased with their decision. To find out more about beginning this process, click here.

10. What is the technical platform for Get With The Guidelines–Outpatient?

Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI) has a customized platform that integrates with multiple electronic health record (EHR) vendors. If you are signed on with a compatible vendor, you do not need to make any additional adjustments for technical compatibility.  For more information about this technology, click here.

11. How is the outpatient program different from the Get With The Guidelines–Stroke and Get With The Guidelines–Heart Failure programs?

Get With The Guidelines–Outpatient promotes optimal outpatient care and seeks to bring the same evidence-based measures of quality used in hospital-based care into the broad continuum of care offered in the ambulatory clinics and offices around the country.  This includes primary event prevention and promoting healthy lifestyles for all patients.  Get With The Guidelines–Stroke and Get With The Guidelines–Heart Failure target quality of acute care during the patient’s hospital stay.

12. Are the outpatient guidelines and data collection methods the same as the Get With The Guidelines–Heart Failure and Get With The Guidelines–Stroke?

The guidelines are consistent, but the outpatient program tracks measures for wellness, primary episode prevention and longitudinal post-discharge care.  The hospital program is Web-based, powered by the Patient Management Tool TM (PMT) created by Outcome Sciences, Inc.  The outpatient program is not Web-based. Instead, data is collected directly through your EHR system.

13. What type of data do participating medical practices provide for Get With The Guidelines–Outpatient?

Participating practices provide basic demographic information, and medical history, including risk factors, prior events, ongoing treatments, lab work, vital signs, medications and contraindications to medications along with additional data measures commonly being collected in the EHR systems. Click here to view a sample.

14. Does the Get With The Guidelines–Outpatient program place more value on computer-driven decision making and less value on the healthcare professional’s critical thinking?

Get With The Guidelines–Outpatient places the highest value on the healthcare professional’s critical thinking skills for improving patient outcomes. The reports and technology are tools to aid critical thinking and assist you in the study of your own practices in comparison with others.  Additionally, Get With The Guidelines–Outpatient statistics help you consider what works for the greatest number of patients and document the clinical decisions for individuals you believe fall outside the statistical range.

15. What if the data reports indicate my practice is performing lower than what I know to be true?

If your numbers are off your mark, we will help you find out why. Your practice will benefit when you are confident that your numbers accurately reflect your success. Together we can discover whether you have a technological glitch, inconsistent reporting or an unexpected area of weakness to improve.  If your data is indeed an error, DCRI will work with you to fill in the missing numbers, and the changes will be reflected on your next report. For more information on this topic, click here.

16. Will there be a recognition program for Get With The Guidelines–Outpatient?  If so, when will it start?  

Get With The Guidelines–Outpatient will begin implementing the recognition program after data collection reports have begun.

17. Is AHA currently inviting electronic health record (EHR) vendors to join with DCRI and AHA for this program?

Yes, if you represent an electronic health record (EHR) system, we welcome your participation in this program.  Click here to visit our page for EHR vendors.

18. Does Get With The Guidelines–Outpatient have supporters?  

The Medtronic Corporation, Pfizer, and Merck are supporting the development of the program.  The AHA National Center Development and Program staff is actively recruiting additional sponsors.