University Hospital Recognized for Highest Level of Stroke Care by American Heart Association

Receives Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award

University Hospital has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get with the Guidelines-Stroke Gold plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment and success in providing excellent care for stroke patients by following evidence-based guidelines.

To receive the award, University Hospital achieved of 85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality Achievement indicators for two or more consecutive years, and achieved 75 percent or higher compliance with six of 10 quality measures. These measures include clot-busting medication, anticoagulation therapy, cholesterol-reducing drugs and smoking cessation — all aimed at reducing death and disability, and improving the lives of stroke patients.

University Hospital also joins the association’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll for improving stroke care. Over the past quarter, at least half of the hospital’s eligible ischemic stroke patients have received tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, within 60 minutes of arriving at the hospital. If given intravenously in the first three hours after the start of stroke symptoms, tPA has been shown to significantly reverse the effects of stroke and reduce permanent disability.

“University Health is committed to providing fast, high-quality, scientifically proven treatments to stroke patients,” said George B. Hernández Jr., president/CEO of the Health System. “This award — and the hard work that went into earning it — is gratifying to all of us here, and should be a source of confidence to our patients and their families.”

Customized patient education materials in English or Spanish are made available when the patient leaves the hospital, based on his or her individual risk profiles. In addition, healthcare providers have access to up-to-date cardiovascular and stroke science at the point of care.

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is one of the leading causes of death and serious, long-term disability in the United States. Some 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.