Providence Stroke Center makes the honor roll
11/12/2012
PORTLAND, Ore. — Stroke patients treated at Providence Stroke Center receive some of the best care in the nation. Providence Portland and Providence St. Vincent medical centers have recieved the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s 2012 Get With The Guidelines - Gold Plus award, for improving stroke care. They are recognized for two or more consecutive years of performance excellence as part of the American Stroke Association's quality program.
Providence Portland Medical Center also made the prestigious 2012 Target: Stroke Honor Roll. To make the honor roll, at least 50 percent of eligible ischemic stroke patients have received IV rt-PA within 60 minutes of arriving at the hospital (known as ‘door-to-needle’ time) over the past quarter.
In addition, Providence Medford Medical Center received a Get With The Guidelines - Bronze award and Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital and Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center are now honored as Get With The Guidelines participating hospitals.
Oregon has one of the highest stroke death rates in the country, making this recognition even more valuable to our community. "Receiving the GWTG gold award at Providence hospitals is testimony to Providence Health & Services’ commitment to providing the best stroke care possible,” said Ted Lowenkopf, M.D., medical director for Providence Stroke Center. “Providence has assembled a team of highly qualified experts who work to save lives and improve patients’ outcomes during recovery.”
The Providence stroke team includes neurologists, neurosurgeons, neurointerventionalists, radiologists, nurses and therapists who can quickly diagnose patients and use the most technically advanced methods to remove clots, repair broken arteries that cause strokes, and restore blood flow to the brain.
Hospitals participating in the GWTG program must develop a comprehensive system for providing rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke when patients are admitted to the emergency department. When treating a stroke, every minute counts.
"We have only four and a half hours from onset of the first symptom to provide the only FDA-approved treatment for stroke. The clot-busting drug tPA is the only proven treatment we have to minimize the chance of suffering permanent brain damage and disability,” notes Lisa Yanase, M.D., medical director of the Providence Portland Stroke Center.
As a GWTG participant, Providence medical experts must also use the “teachable moment” – the window of time immediately after a person has had a stroke, when they are most likely to follow their doctor’s guidance. Studies show patients who are taught to manage their risk factors while in the hospital reduce their risk of a second stroke. Providence medical centers provide information on secondary stroke prevention by managing smoking, weight, diabetes and cholesterol.
Providence Stroke Center
Providence Health & Services is seen as a regional and national leader in stroke management and treatment. Providence Stroke Center is the first nationally certified stroke center in Oregon and is actively engaged in clinical research. These results are already being used to improve stroke care in Oregon.
Providence Stroke Center, based at Providence St. Vincent and Providence Portland medical centers, treats more than 1,000 patients a year. Both facilities have dedicated neuro bi-plane suites, which are the most advanced in the region. This minimally invasive technology provides physicians unparalleled three-dimensional-imaging of a patient’s brain's blood vessels to help remove blood clots or repair damage caused by strokes.
Get With The Guidelines: The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association recognize Providence Portland and Providence St. Vincent medical centers for achieving 85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines® Stroke Performance Achievement indicators for consecutive 12 month intervals and 75 percent or higher compliance with 6 of 10 Get With The Guidelines Stroke Quality Measures to improve quality of patient care and outcomes in addition to achieving IV rt-PA door-to-needle times ≤ 60 minutes in 50 percent or more of applicable acute ischemic stroke patients (minimum of 6) during one calendar quarter.