Ascension Saint Agnes Earns Stroke Program Certification

Ascension Saint Agnes was recognized for its commitment to stroke care with The Joint Commission’s Advanced Primary Stroke Center (PSC) Certification. The certification covers every aspect of Ascension Saint Agnes’ stroke program–-from initial evaluation in the ED through diagnosis, treatment, inpatient rehab, and connection to resources at discharge. The program has been continuously certified since 2007.

“Ascension Saint Agnes continues to strive for excellence in the acute treatment of stroke patients,” said Marian P. Lamonte, M.D., Chief of Neurology & Integrative Neurology Specialists. “We know from studies that this attention to detail translates directly to stroke recovery.”

The Joint Commission-certified PSCs and organizations seeking initial certification are required to adopt a set of standardized performance measures. Organizations collect monthly data for each measure in the set. The data is then submitted quarterly to The Joint Commission.

A multidisciplinary team achieved buy-in throughout the organization through staff teaching efforts that created excitement and passion for the care of stroke patients with support from hospital leadership. Ascension Saint Agnes deployed the new RAPID stroke imaging tool to detect patients that could be treated with thrombectomy, and a physician-to-physician relationship for thrombectomy patients was developed.

An intense group effort for neurochecks and vital signs resulted in Ascension Saint Agnes being among only 3% of nationally surveyed hospitals to have had all vital signs and neurochecks completed correctly.

Ascension Saint Agnes also earned national recognition through the American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award for the fifth time in 2019.