Central Maine Medical Center has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® Target: Stroke Honor Roll Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.
It was the second straight year that CMMC earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines, with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. Before discharge, patients should also receive education on managing their health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.
“CMMC is dedicated to improving the quality of care for our stroke patients by implementing this stroke initiative,” said Dr. David Tupponce, president of the hospital and executive vice president of Central Maine Healthcare. “The tools and resources provided by the American Heart Association help us track and measure our success in meeting clinical guidelines and improving patient outcomes.”
Last year, CMMC won accreditation from the Joint Commission for advanced primary stroke care.
In addition to the Get With the Guidelines honor, CMMC also received the association’s Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke.
“We are pleased to recognize Central Maine Medical Center for their commitment to stroke care,” said Lee. H. Schwamm, M.D., national chairperson of the Quality Oversight Committee and Executive Vice Chair of Neurology, Director of Acute Stroke Services at Massachusetts General Hospital. “Research has shown that hospitals adhering to clinical measures lower mortality rates.”
According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.
