What You Need To Kno
Hackensack Meridian Health hospitals are being recognized for their readiness to respond and care for stroke patients. Eight hospitals have been awarded the American Heart Association / American Stroke Association Get With The Guidelines® Stroke Gold Plus Award.
Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke or heart attack, and heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 5 causes of death in the United States, respectively. Studies show patients can recover better when providers consistently follow treatment guidelines.
Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest evidence and research-based guidelines including the use of clot busting and preventative medications. As a participant in Get With The Guidelines programs, Hackensack Meridian Health qualified for the award by demonstrating how the organization has committed to improving quality care.
Hackensack Meridian Health medical centers received the following American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® achievement awards:
- Bayshore Medical Center - Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
- Hackensack University Medical Center - Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
- Jersey Shore University Medical Center - Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
- JFK University Medical Center - Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
- Ocean University Medical Center - Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll and Target Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
- Palisades Medical Center - Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
- Riverview Medical Center - Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
- Southern Ocean Medical Center - Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
Hospitals must achieve 85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke achievement indicators for two or more consecutive 12-month periods and achieve 75 percent or higher compliance with five of eight Get With the Guidelines® – Stroke Quality measures to receive the Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award.
The quality measures are designed to help hospital teams follow the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients.
To qualify for the elite status, hospitals must follow stringent guidelines to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival and treatment – what’s known as “door-to-needle time” or the time from an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with thrombolytic therapy.
Hackensack Meridian Health has three Comprehensive Stroke Centers and 9 Primary Stroke Centers certified by the Joint Commission and licensed by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services. Our three comprehensive stroke centers, Hackensack University Medical Center, Jersey Shore University Medical Center and JFK University Medical Center are ready with the most demanding stroke center designation, given to those able to treat the most complex cases. Hackensack University Medical Center is also home to the state of New Jersey’s only nationally ranked neurology and neurosurgery program, according to the U.S. News and World Report rankings.