Kaiser Permanente Fresno recognized for stroke care

Kaiser Permanente Fresno has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Achievement Award with Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Elite Plus. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to providing the most appropriate stroke treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.”We are extremely proud to be recognized for the high-quality stroke care we provide our patients,” Senior Vice President and Area Manager Debbie Hemker, RN, said. “Our STROKE Express program is providing a faster, better way to diagnose and treat stroke patients.”

The award acknowledges that KP Fresno reached an aggressive goal of achieving 85% or higher of all the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke achievement indicators for two or more consecutive years. In addition, the hospital achieved 75% or higher compliance with five of the eight stroke quality measures.

“This award recognizes the dedication and commitment of our physicians and staff to ensure our stroke patients are receiving the best care possible,” said Physician in Chief Smita Rouillard, MD. “Our multi-disciplinary approach to treating stroke patients is saving lives every day.”

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States and the leading cause of serious long-term disability.

At KP Fresno, the STROKE Express Program is significantly reducing the time it takes to administer life-saving medication to patients arriving in the emergency department. A team of physicians, nurses and other medical staff are trained to evaluate stroke patients quickly and provide rapid treatment to reduce the risk of long-term damage to the brain and body.

To qualify for the AHA’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus, 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 medication can improve the chance of survival and minimize the risk of long-term damage.

KP Fresno received the award after meeting specific quality achievement measures.

According to guidelines set by the American Stroke Association, a patient suffering from a stroke caused by disruption of blood flow due to a clot in the brain’s arteries should receive clot-dissolving medication within 60 minutes of arriving at the hospital. KP Northern California hospitals – including Fresno – are routinely achieving “door-to-needle” times for alteplase of under 60 minutes; and on average, are administering alteplase treatment in 33 minutes, nearly half of the recommended time.

In June 2011, KP Fresno was certified as a Primary Stroke Center by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations after demonstrating it can significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients through the care it provides.