Local hospital recognized for outstanding stroke care

This story is provided by our sponsor, McLaren Greater Lansing.

McLaren Greater Lansing has been recognized by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association for quality achievement in stroke care. The associations presented McLaren Greater Lansing with the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: Stroke Honor Roll.

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds, someone dies of a stroke every four minutes, and nearly 800,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.

The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment and success that ensures that stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines predicated on the latest scientific evidence. The end result is a speedier recovery for patients, as well as reduced death and disability.

“We’re thrilled to be recognized by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association for our commitment to providing exceptional care to stroke patients,” said Colleen Drolett, RN, BSN, stroke and trauma program manager at McLaren Greater Lansing. “Every second counts when treating a stroke, and this award is further recognition of our team’s dedication to treating stroke patients as quickly and safely as possible.”

McLaren Greater Lansing received the award, which has two parts, by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period.

To receive the Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award, hospitals must attain 85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines-Stroke achievement indicators for at least 12 consecutive months and during the same period achieve 75 percent or higher compliance with five of eight Get With The Guidelines-Stroke quality measures.

To qualify for the Target: Stroke Honor Roll, 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 only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke. If given intravenously in the first three hours after the start of stroke symptoms, tPA has been shown to significantly reduce the effects of stroke and to decrease the chance of permanent disability.

“The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association recognize McLaren Greater Lansing for its commitment to stroke care,” said Paul Heidenreich, MD, MS, national chairman of the Get With The Guidelines Steering Committee and professor of medicine at Stanford University. “Research has shown there are benefits to patients who are treated at hospitals that have adopted the Get With The Guidelines program.”

Get With The Guidelines®-S puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping hospital care teams ensure the care provided to patients is aligned with the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal to save lives and improve recovery time, Get With The Guidelines®-S has had an impacted on more than 3 million patients since 2003.

​This story is provided by our sponsor, McLaren Greater Lansing.