Penn's Comprehensive Stroke Center receives
distinction from Joint Commission
Reducing the debilitating effects of stroke has
become a reality for residents in and around the
Philadelphia area. The Hospital of the University
of Pennsylvania introduces a new Comprehensive
Stroke Center recently awarded certification as
a primary stroke center from the Joint Commission.
It is the only hospital in Philadelphia with this
unique distinction.
Because the Joint Commission standards are regarded as the most
rigorous in the industry, the Joint Commission-certified disease
management programs have demonstrated their commitment
to providing quality care to their patients. The Joint Commission ’s
gold seal of approval is a clear sign that certified
programs have demonstrated compliance with the
most stringent standards of performance.
Showing excellence in health care quality in
its stroke program, the Hospital of the University
of Pennsylvania’s Comprehensive Stroke Center
was awarded the Gold Seal of Approval (TM) and
achieved Disease-Specific Care Certification from
the Joint Commission. The Joint Commission accredits more than 15,000 health
care organizations in the United States and many
other countries. When an organization agrees to
be measured against national standards set by
health care professionals, it agrees to comply
with Joint Commission standards and continues
its efforts to improve the care and quality of
its services. Specially trained surveyors evaluate
the health care organization’s compliance
with the Joint Commissions standards. It not only
identifies the organization’s strengths
and weaknesses but also provides education and
consultation so the organization can improve.
To earn and maintain certification, Penn’s
program embarked on an extensive on-site review
by a select team of the Joint Commission professionals to assure
the deployment of rapid-response stroke treatment
teams; the operation of designated inpatient stroke
care units staffed by qualified stroke caregivers;
the use of comprehensive, written stroke care
protocols; the existence of an integrated system
for managing stroke patients; compliance with
professional standards and a firm commitment from
administrators as well as clinicians to provide
up-to-date community education about stroke risks,
symptoms and treatment. The program is reevaluated
once every two years. The purpose of the review
is to evaluate performance in areas that affect
patient care. Through this assessment Penn’s
ability to evaluate and improve care within its
own organization is evaluated against national
standards developed by the Joint Commission. Certification is
awarded based on how well the organization meets
these standards.
According to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention/National Center for Health Statistics,
someone in America has a stroke every 45 seconds.
Stroke is the nation’s No. 3 cause of death
and a leading cause of serious, long-term disability.
About 700,000 Americans will have a stroke this
year and 168,000 of them will die. As a Primary
Stroke Center, Penn’s Comprehensive Stroke
Center will strive to improve these statistics.
The Stroke Center is part of the Penn Comprehensive Neuroscience Center of the University of Pennsylvania Health
System, which provides complete medical and surgical
care for people with disorders of the brain, spinal
cord, and peripheral nervous system. State-of-the-art
approaches to diagnosis, treatment and prevention
of stroke are offered at the Center. Innovative
therapies include endovascular (catheter-based)
interventions such as angioplasty, stenting and
intra-arterial thrombolysis. Many of the services
offered by the Stroke Center are not available
at other area hospitals. The staff includes neurologists,
neurointensivists, neurosurgeons, neuroradiologists,
specially trained neuroscience nurses, physical
and occupational therapists, speech pathologists,
neuropsychologists and rehabilitation medicine
physicians.
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