Boerne News

Methodist Hospital raised the bar in hospital-based stroke care today by announcing it earned not one but two very distinctive certifications. The hospital earned the American Stroke Association’s Get With the Guidelines - Stroke Bronze Performance Achievement Award and the Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission for Primary Stroke Centers.

“Both of these recognitions highlight Methodist Hospital’s comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients,” stated Mike Duffy, FACHE, CEO of Methodist Hospitals in the Medical Center. He added, “These stroke care certifications will further enhance the quality of stroke care for the residents of San Antonio and our 26-county area”.

According to the American Stroke Association, each year approximately 700,000 people suffer a stroke — 500,000 are first attacks and 200,000 are recurrent attacks. Of stroke survivors, 21 percent of men and 24 percent of women die within a year, and for those aged 65 and older, the percentage is even higher.

Methodist received the American Stroke Association’s Get With the Guidelines - Stroke Bronze Performance Achievement Award a few weeks ago. The award recognizes Methodist Hospital’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment according to nationally accepted standards and recommendations.

And just yesterday, the hospital received word that it earned the Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission for Primary Stroke Centers. Methodist earned this distinction after the Joint Commission held an unannounced on-site review in May. The Joint Commission designation demonstrates that Methodist’s stroke program follows national standards and can significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients.

Both of these recognitions highlight Methodist Hospital’s comprehensive system for dealing with stroke patients admitted to the emergency department. This includes always being equipped to provide brain imaging scans, having neurologists available to conduct patient evaluations and using clot-busting medications when appropriate.

The hospital’s treatment guidelines include aggressive use of medications like tPA, antithrombotics, anticoagulation therapy, DVT prophylaxis, cholesterol reducing drugs, and smoking cessation. This 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.

“These two certifications in stroke care came with a lot of hard work and dedication from both our staff and doctors. Most people do not realize and appreciate the orchestration of hospital departments and physician specialties that must occur to establish a quality stroke care program,” stated Duffy. Physician specialties include: emergency medicine; neurology; neurosurgery; internal medicine; family medicine; radiology and interventional radiology.

Hospital leaders, staff and physicians at Methodist Hospital are all committed to further expanding our quality of care and service not only to stroke patients but each and every patient who walks through its doors. The promise of Methodist Excellence has guided hospital staff and physicians to earn these certifications.