Joining Forces for Atrial Fibrillation Patients

See what Get With The Guidelines^®- AFIB Chair, Dr. William Lewis and HRS President, Dr. Michael Gold, have to say about this partnership.

AFib affects between 2.7 million and 6.1 million Americans, and accounts for about one-third of hospitalizations for heart rhythm disturbance. It is often undiagnosed because it occurs sporadically and may not produce symptoms. Patients with AFib are five times more likely to have strokes and are at risk for developing other heart-related complications. Get With The Guidelines^®- AFIB is aimed at improving access to proven medical therapies based on scientific guidelines, monitoring the quality of AFib care in U.S. hospitals and creating a database for continued research and quality improvement initiatives.

The American Heart Association and Heart Rhythm Society today announce a collaboration with the Get With The Guidelines^®- AFIB Program. The American Heart Association and the Heart Rhythm Society share the mission of providing quality data for the purpose of advancing patient care.

Both organizations are working together to:

• Engage more hospitals and clinicians to learn about quality improvement and participate in the Get With The Guidelines-AFIB Program.
• Increase educational opportunities for specialty cardiologists, including electrophysiologists, through webinars and national conferences
• Advance cardiovascular research and quality improvement through joint efforts
• Support improvements in quality of patient care and effective management of patients who suffer from AFib

Collaborating with the Heart Rhythm Society brings the expertise of the largest U.S. electrophysiology professional organization together with the American Heart Association's leadership in improving healthcare quality. Aligning with experts in heart rhythm care will allow us to touch the lives of many more patients with atrial fibrillation, the most common heart arrhythmia in the world.

For additional information on the Get With The Guidelines^®- AFIB Program please visit heart.org/focusonafib. If you have any additional questions, please complete our inquiry form or contact your local Get With The Guidelines Representative.

Our Organizations:

The Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) is a leading resource on cardiac arrhythmia disorders. The Heart Rhythm Society is the professional home for heart rhythm care specialists including electrophysiologists, heart rhythm care allied professionals, basic scientists, and industry professionals from more than 72 countries.

The American Heart Association is a leader in developing science-based treatment guidelines known to improve outcomes for heart disease and stroke patients. Get With The Guidelines is the largest national hospital-based program dedicated to quality of care improvement for patients with cardiovascular disease, including targeted initiatives in AFib, stroke, heart failure and resuscitation. More than 2,000 U.S. hospitals participate in the quality initiative, which has a database of over 11 million patient records.