How to Get Started

The Time To Take Action Is Now!

All the tools you need to start a similar program in your hospital are available on this web site. Applying this program at your hospital will improve treatment rates, reduce the risk of recurrent hospitalization, and save lives

Assess your current treatment intervention rates. If you provide care at one of the 1500 National Registry of Myocardial Infarction Hospitals, this data is already available for your hospital. Regional, Statewide, and National Data from this registry and other data sources demonstrates that significant treatment gaps exist and there is substantial opportunities to improve.

Each time you see one of your patients with atherosclerosis, whether in the hospital or the outpatient office setting, make sure they are receiving each of the four cardiovascular survival medications, unless contraindicated or not tolerated (aspirin, beta blocker, ACE inhibitors, statin) and have achieved LDL < 100 mg/dl and BP target levels.

Take advantage of hospitalization as a "teachable moment". Patients are more likely to follow guidance and be compliant with mediations immediately after they have had an event.

Create a team within your hospital to improve implementation of secondary prevention treatments for atherosclerosis and improve adherence to national guidelines. This team can apply quality improvement measures such as preprinted admission orders, care maps, discharge protocols and monitor your hospitals progress with data monitoring tools. The tools utilized at UCLA for the CHAMP Program are all available for your use from this web site.

Monitor the treatment rates for patients hospitalized with cardiac disease and make sure they are improving.