Mercy Health - Cincinnati, which provides advanced, quality, compassionate care in your neighborhood through its care network, announces that Queen City Medical Center and Harrison Medical Center each earned the Acute Stroke Ready Hospital 2018 certification from The Joint Commission.
This certification recognizes hospitals equipped to treat stroke patients with timely, evidence-based care prior to transferring them to a primary or comprehensive stroke center.
“I’m honored that the care teams at our Queen City and Harrison locations are receiving acknowledgment of their diligent, compassionate services to the community,” said Michael Kramer, Mercy Health – West Market President and CEO. “The evidence-supported actions taken by medical professionals when patients suffer strokes can reduce the side effects of stroke and save lives.”
The medical centers underwent rigorous, onsite reviews to assess their compliance with the Joint Commission’s Advanced Disease-Specific Care certification requirements, including:
- A dedicated stroke-focused program
- Staffing by qualified medical professionals trained in stroke care
- Collaboration with local emergency management agencies
- 24/7 ability to perform rapid diagnostic and laboratory testing
- Ability to administer intravenous clot-busting medications to eligible patients
- Availability of telemedicine technology
Established in 2015, the Acute Stroke Ready Hospital certification is awarded for a two-year period to The Joint Commission-accredited hospitals and critical access hospitals. The certification derived from the Brain Attack Coalition’s “Recommendations for Comprehensive Stroke Centers (Stroke, 2005), “Metrics for Measuring Quality of Care in Comprehensive Stroke Centers” (Stroke, 2011) and recommendations from a multidisciplinary advisory panel of experts in complex stroke care.
The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association awarded Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Center certification to Mercy Health - Anderson, Fairfield and West Hospitals and The Jewish Hospital – Mercy Health. Mercy Health – Clermont Hospital and Mt. Orab Medical Center hold Acute Stroke Ready Hospital certifications.
According to the American Health Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the number five cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds; someone dies of a stroke every four minutes; and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.
For more information about the Acute Stroke Ready Hospital certification, please visit The Joint Commission's website.