Foundation News
The Medical Center Named a Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission 7/23/2009
The Medical Center has been designated a Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission following an on-site review which was conducted in May.
“The Medical Center demonstrated that its stroke care program follows national standards and guidelines that can significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients,” says Jean E. Range, MS, RN, CPHQ, Executive Director of Disease-Specific Care Certification for The Joint Commission.
“We’re very proud to achieve this distinction,” says Dr. Jianhua Zhu, neurologist with Graves-Gilbert Clinic and Medical Director of The Medical Center’s stroke program. “Joint Commission Primary Stroke Center Certification recognizes our commitment to providing outstanding stroke care to our patients and our community.”
Each year about 700,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke, which is the nation’s third leading cause of death. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 45 seconds and someone dies of a stroke every 3.1 minutes. Stroke is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States, with about 4.7 million stroke survivors alive today.
"The establishment and recognition of The Medical Center's Primary Stroke Center are a strong testament to our continued focus on providing the latest in evidence-based care for stroke patients throughout our region,” said Bill Singletary, RN, Stroke Program Coordinator for The Medical Center.
“This has truly been a collaborative effort among multiple disciplines at our facility including Medical Staff, Emergency Medical Services, Nursing, Rehabilitation Services, Laboratory, Radiology, Pharmacy, Education, Community Wellness, and the Emergency Department."
The Joint Commission’s Primary Stroke Center Certification is based on the recommendations for the establishment of primary stroke centers published by the Brain Attack Coalition and the American Heart Association / American Stroke Association’s statements/guidelines for stroke care. In 2003, The Joint Commission developed an advanced level of certification for stroke programs which must meet the requirements for Disease-Specific Care Certification plus additional, clinically-specific requirements and expectations. Certification requirements address three areas:
• Compliance with consensus-based national standards and safety goals.
• Effective use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines to manage and optimize care.
• An organized approach to performance measurement and improvement activities.
Disease-specific programs that successfully demonstrate compliance in all three areas are awarded certification for a two-year period. At the end of the first year, the organization is required to attest to its continued compliance with standards and provide evidence of performance improvement activities. To maintain certification, the cycle repeats with an on-site review conducted every two years and a bi-annual submission of an acceptable assessment of compliance by the organization. A list of stroke programs certified by The Joint Commission is available at www.jointcommission.org.
^top
|
800 Park Street