Stroke

• GWTG–Stroke Gold Award
• Joint Commission Gold Seal for Stroke Center

GWTG-Stroke Gold Plus Award

AMH's Stroke Center received the American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines^SM – Stroke (GWTG-Stroke) Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award. The award recognizes AMH's commitment and success in implementing excellent stroke care for stroke patients, according to evidence-based guidelines.

To receive the GWTG–Stroke Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award, AMH achieved at least 85 percent or higher adherence to all GWTG–Stroke key measures for 24 or more consecutive months and achieved well above the 75 percent compliance with six of 10 Get With The Guidelines–Stroke Quality Measures, required to establish quality of care. These include appropriate use of medications like rtPA, antithrombotics and anticoagulation therapy, DVT prophylaxis, cholesterol-reducing drugs, and smoking cessation.

"With a stroke, time lost is brain lost, and the GWTG–Stroke Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award addresses the important element of time," said John J. Kelly, M.D., AMH chief of staff. "Abington Memorial Hospital has developed a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department. This includes always being equipped to provide brain imaging scans, having neurologists available to conduct patient evaluations and using clot-busting medications when appropriate."

Joint Commission Gold Seal for Stroke Center

By demonstrating excellence in its stroke program, AMH was awarded the Gold Seal of Approval and has achieved Disease-Specific Care Certification from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Abington's Stroke Center is the first in Pennsylvania to earn this designation.

Reviewers from the Joint Commission evaluated AMH's Stroke Center to assess its compliance with the Joint Commission's state-of-the-art national standards and performance measurement expectations for the management of chronic care illnesses. The Joint Commission has more than 50 years of recognized and respected experience and expertise in evaluating clinical care quality in all types of healthcare settings.

The determining factors for a program earning a Gold Seal of Approval are based upon the following: compliance with consensus-based national standards; effective use of established clinical practice guidelines to manage and optimize care; and an organized approach to performance measurement and improvement activities.