The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) recognized 15 hospitals for excellence in stroke care performance at the Arkansas Chronic Disease Forum held at the Little Rock Crowne Plaza.
The ADH awards are based on hospital performance as documented in the Arkansas Stroke Registry between July of 2016 and June of 2017. They are given to hospitals for providing defect-free stroke care (90% or higher adherence). Defect-free care is based on the seven American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) achievement measures of the Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Patient Management Tool. These measures are benchmarked according to the standards of evidence-based stroke care guidelines to ensure stroke patients receive appropriate and timely care.
“We are delighted to see the improvement in stroke care as demonstrated by these hospitals”, said Appathurai Balamurugan, MD, DrPH, state chronic disease director and medical director for the ADH Chronic Disease Branch. “Through our work with the communities, EMS, and hospitals we hope to improve quality of stroke care among Arkansans with this devastating condition.”
The Arkansas Stroke Registry (ASR) is the ADH stroke surveillance and quality improvement program. Oversight for the ASR is provided by the Acute Stroke Care Task Force (ASCTF). The ASR partners closely with the AHA/ASA, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), the ASCTF, Arkansas Stroke Assistance through Virtual Emergency Support (AR SAVES), and the Mercy Telestroke system. The primary goal of the ASR is to perform stroke surveillance, monitor stroke care performance, and provide stroke education and quality improvement assistance to improve stroke patient care and outcomes.
Hospitals receiving stroke care performance awards for defect-free patient care include:
Baptist Health Medical Center - Little Rock
Baptist Health Medical Center - Heber Springs
CHI St. Vincent Hospital Hot Springs
CHI St. Vincent Morrilton
CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System
Five Rivers Medical Center
Forrest City Medical Center
Medical Center of South Arkansas
Mercy Hospital Fort Smith
Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas
Methodist University Hospital
Sparks Regional Medical Center
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Wadley Regional Medical Center
Washington Regional Medical Center
Visit www.healthy.arkansas.gov for more information on stroke prevention in Arkansas.