Institute joins very select group of industry leaders providing highest level of stroke care
TRENTON, NJ - Capital Health Regional Medical Center has attained Advanced Certification from The Joint Commission for its Comprehensive Stroke Center, a new designation available only to elite centers that meet The Joint Commission’s highest standards required to provide complex stroke care.
The Comprehensive Stroke Center is an integral part of the Capital Institute for Neurosciences.
The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association recently launched the Advanced Certification program for Comprehensive Stroke Centers (CSCs) to recognize the significant resources in technology, staff and training that comprehensive stroke centers must have today to provide the highest level of stroke care.
In a statement, The Joint Commission said it expects states and regions to begin developing networks that funnel the most complicated stroke patients to these highly specialized centers, leading to better outcomes for patients. The Joint Commission called comprehensive stroke centers with Advanced Certification "industry leaders responsible for setting the national agenda in stroke care."
The Capital Institute for Neurosciences is ahead of the curve having more than 85 health care facilities in the tri-state area already transferring patients with complex strokes and other neurologic conditions to them. "By achieving this advanced certification, Capital Health has thoroughly demonstrated the greatest level of commitment to the care of its patients with a complex stroke condition,” says Mark R. Chassin, M.D., FACP, M.P.P., M.P.H., president, The Joint Commission. “Certification is a voluntary process and The Joint Commission commends Capital Health for successfully undertaking this challenge to elevate the standard of its care for the community it serves.”
Joint Commission experts extensively reviewed Capital Health’s ability to meet Comprehensive Stroke Centers stringent standards, including dedicated neuro-intensive care unit beds for complex stroke patients with 24/7 neuro-critical care, advanced imaging capability, coordination of patient’s post-hospital care, and participation in stroke research.
Perhaps most important, the Institute for Neurosciences exceeded minimum volume requirements for treating patients with various neurosurgical conditions, including subarachnoid hemorrhage, aneurysms (both endovascular coiling and surgical clipping) and in administering potentially lifesaving clot-busting medication, IV tPA.
The advanced capabilities at the Capital Institute for Neurosciences include:
- A 40-bed dedicated, closed Neuro Intensive Care Unit, one of the largest in the nation.
- The nation’s only emergency department specifically for brain emergencies, called the Center for Neurologic Emergency Medicine.
- Neurosurgeons dual trained in both traditional and endovascular neurosurgical approaches.
In addition, the Capital Institute for Neurosciences treated more patients requiring brain and aneurysm surgeries in 2011 than any other hospital in the State of New Jersey. The institute was one of only eight hospitals in the country reporting stroke care measures in 2011 to be recognized by The Joint Commission as a Top Performer on Key Quality Measures®.
Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification was developed in collaboration with the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association and derived from the Brain Attack Coalition’s “Recommendations for Comprehensive Stroke Centers,” (Stroke, 2005), and “Metrics for Measuring Quality of Care in Comprehensive Stroke Centers,” (Stroke, 2011), and on recommendations from a multidisciplinary advisory panel of experts in complex stroke care.
“The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association congratulates Capital Health on its Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification,” said Mark J. Alberts, M.D., FAHA, American Heart Association/American Stroke Association and incoming Vice-Chair of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics at UT Southwestern Medical Center. “Comprehensive Stroke Centers offer a high level of care for patients with the most severe and challenging types of strokes and cerebrovascular disease.”
"In the past several years, Capital Health has become known for providing exceptional neuroscience care," said Al Maghazehe, President and CEO of Capital Health. "I am extremely proud of our entire team for their tireless commitment to providing stroke care that serves as an example to other hospitals throughout the country."
For more information on The Joint Commission and American Heart Association’s Advanced Certification for Comprehensive Stroke Center, visit www.jointcommission.org or www.heart.org/myhospital.
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About The Joint Commission
Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 20,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 10,600 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 6,600 other health care organizations that provide long term care, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. The Joint Commission also certifies more than 2,400 disease-specific care programs such as stroke, heart failure, joint replacement and stroke rehabilitation, and 400 health care staffing services. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.
About the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association
The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – America’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit www.heart.org or call any of our offices around the country.
The familiar Heart-Check mark now helps consumers evaluate their choices in hospital care. Each mark given to a hospital is earned by meeting specific standards for the care of patients with heart disease and/or stroke. The Heart-Check mark can only be displayed by hospitals that have achieved and defined requirements set by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. For more information on the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Hospital Accreditation Program visit www.heart.org/myhospitals.