Miami Valley Hospital South Awarded Advanced Certification
Certified as an acute stroke ready hospital.
DAYTON, Oh (November 18, 2016) – Today, Miami Valley Hospital South (MVHS) announced it has earned Advanced Disease-Specific Care Certification for Acute Stroke Ready Hospital from The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. The certification recognizes hospitals equipped to treat stroke patients with timely, evidence-based care prior to transferring them to a Primary or Comprehensive Stroke Center.
MVHS underwent a rigorous onsite review this month to assess its compliance with The Joint Commission’s Advanced Disease-Specific Care certification requirements, including:
- A dedicated stroke-focused program
- Staffing by qualified medical professionals trained in stroke care
- Collaboration with local emergency management agencies
- 24/7 ability to perform rapid diagnostic and laboratory testing
- Ability to administer intravenous clot-busting medications to eligible patients
- Availability of telemedicine technology
“Currently, nearly half of the population in the United States live 60 miles or more away from a Primary Stroke Center or Comprehensive Stroke Center,” said Lee H. Schwamm, MD, American Stroke Association. “If patients who experience an acute ischemic stroke can get treated with clot-busting medications quickly, more lives would be saved and more patients would have improved outcomes.”
“This new certification acts as important bridge and will be a key component in an evolving system of stroke care,” said Patrick Phelan, interim executive director, Hospital Business Development, The Joint Commission. “A Joint Commission and American Heart Association/American Stroke Association certified Acute Stroke Ready Hospital will be the foundation for acute stroke care in many communities, allowing it to be the first stop on a patient’s acute stroke journey.”
“We are delighted to receive Acute Stroke Ready Hospital Certification from The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association,” said Mark Shaker, president & CEO, Miami Valley Hospital. This certification demonstrates our commitment to providing a higher standard of service to stroke patients, while also addressing the gap in access to acute stroke services.”
Established in 2015, Acute Stroke Ready Hospital Certification is awarded for a two-year period to Joint Commission-accredited hospitals and critical access hospitals. The certification was derived from the Brain Attack Coalition’s “Recommendations for Comprehensive Stroke Centers
” (Stroke, 2005), “Metrics for Measuring Quality of Care in Comprehensive Stroke Centers” (Stroke, 2011) and recommendations from a multidisciplinary advisory panel of experts in complex stroke care.
Stroke is the number five cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States, according to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds; someone dies of a stroke every four minutes; and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.
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