July 28, 2010

Alexian Brothers Hospital Network Recognized for Implementing Quality Stroke Care

 

(Arlington Heights, IL) -- Alexian Brothers Medical Center, Elk Grove Village, and St. Alexius Medical Center, Hoffman Estates - part of the Alexian Brothers Hospital Network - have each received the Get With The Guidelines® (GWTG) Stroke Gold-Plus Performance Achievement Award from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

The award is given to hospitals that provide the best possible care to patients through achieving 85 percent or higher adherence to all stroke performance guidelines and 75 percent or higher compliance with six of 10 stroke quality measures. These measures include aggressive use of clot-busting drugs, blood thinners, anticoagulation therapy, cholesterol-reducing drugs and smoking cessation.

"This is the fifth consecutive year that Alexian Brothers has been awarded a Get With The Guidelines Quality award for stroke," said Wende Fedder RN, clinical director of the Alexian Brothers Neuroscience Institute. "This year's top Gold-Plus Performance Achievement designation recognizes Alexian Brothers Hospital Network's commitment to being one of the top hospitals in the country for providing aggressive, proven stroke care." Through GWTG-Stroke, Alexian Brothers Hospital Network is tracking comprehensive efforts to rapidly diagnose and treat stroke patients admitted to the emergency department.  This includes being equipped to provide brain imaging scans, having neurologists available to conduct patient evaluations and using clot-busting medications when appropriate.

"The full implementation of acute care and secondary prevention recommendations and guidelines is a critical step in saving the lives and improving outcomes of stroke patients," said Dr. Lee Schwamm, national chairman of the Get With The Guidelines steering committee, associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and Vice Chairman of Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital. "The goal of this initiative is to improve the quality of life and help reduce deaths and disability among patients with heart disease and stroke."