Medical City Arlington has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark for Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers, a news release announced. Both certifications represent symbols of quality from their respective organizations.
“Medical City Arlington is pleased to receive advanced certification from The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association,” MCA CEO Keith Zimmerman said in the release. “This certification allows us to highlight the exceptional stroke care we provide as well as to continually strive to advance our care even further.”
The release explained that the ASA recommends stroke patients receive medication to dissolve a stroke-causing blood clot within 60 minutes of arriving at the hospital. The release detailed that while the nationwide average of patients treated within the recommended timeframe is 30 percent, MCA’s average is about 80 percent.
MCA is the only hospital in the Arlington, Mansfield and Grand Prairie area able to perform a thrombectomy, a minimally invasive surgical procedure that allows a fellowship-trained endovascular specialist to remove a blood clot in the brain or stop bleeding in order to avoid or reduce the damage caused by stroke, according to the release. Additionally, MCA has 24/7 coverage by neuro-intensivists and treated more than 400 stroke patients in 2017.
The release explained that in order to be presented with these awards and certifications, MCA underwent an onsite review by Joint Commission experts that evaluated compliance with stroke-related standards and requirements, including program management, the delivery of clinical care and performance improvement.
“Medical City Arlington has thoroughly demonstrated the greatest level of commitment to the care of stroke patients through its Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers,” Patrick Phelan, executive director, Hospital Business Development, The Joint Commission, said in the release. “We commend Medical City Arlington for becoming a leader in stroke care, potentially providing a higher standard of service for stroke patients in its community.”
Stroke is the No. 4 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the U.S, according to the AHA/ASA. Their data show s that, on average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds; someone dies of a stroke every four minutes, and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.
“We congratulate Medical City Arlington for achieving this designation,” AHA/ASA CEO Nancy Brown said in the release. “By adhering to this very specific set of treatment guidelines Medical City Arlington has clearly made it a priority to deliver high-quality care to all patients affected by stroke.”