FOX VALLEY CARDIOLOGIST RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR PROVIDING QUALITY HEART CARE

Santosh Gill, M.D., medical director of the Women 's Heart Center at Rush-Copley, has received recognition from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) for providing quality care to her patients.
The recognition, which is valid for three years, measures physicians ' performance in key areas of cardiovascular and stroke care. Each physician 's quality data is reviewed to determine if the program's key cardiovascular and stroke care measures are met, including blood pressure and cholesterol control.

"I 'm honored to accept this recognition as part of my commitment to the prevention and treatment of heart disease and stroke in our community," said Dr. Gill. “Evidence shows that reducing cholesterol levels and controlling high blood pressure prevent further health complications, yet many cardiac and stroke patients are not treated effectively for these symptoms."

Dr. Gill and her associates at Fox Valley Cardiovascular Consultants in Aurora offer patients a comprehensive approach to preventing, diagnosing and treating heart disease and stroke. For women, the Women 's Heart Center provides a special place where not only cardiac needs are met, but the emotional needs of coping with heart disease are met as well. The center offers innovative care in a unique, healing environment for women, providing a full range of preventive, diagnostic and treatment options.

More than 60 million Americans have one or more types of cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, responsible for approximately 950,000 deaths each year. Approximately 700,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year; stroke is the third-leading cause of death and a leading cause of severe, long-term disability.

NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations, recognizes physicians and physician groups in key clinical areas and manages the evolution of HEDIS, the tool the nation 's health plans
use to measure and report on their performance. NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information through the Web, media and data licensing agreements in order to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.

For further information, please visit www.ncqa.org/HSRP.