Penn Stroke Center Receives Certificate of Distinction
March / April 2005
The Penn Stroke Center has been recognized for its exceptional
ability to meet the specialized needs of stroke patients
and to achieve long-term success in improving outcomes. The
Center recently received certification as a primary stroke
center from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare
Organizations (JCAHO). This prestigious designation, while
demonstrating compliance with certain performance expectations,
also recognizes the high quality and standard of care that
the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania provides.
It is the first hospital in Philadelphia to achieve such
distinction.
“I think that receiving this certification attests
to our longstanding commitment to providing efficient and
effective acute care to patients with stroke and to the prevention
of recurrent stroke,” says Scott
Kasner, MD, director
of the Center and associate professor of neurology at the
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. “There
has long been an idea that emergency medical personnel should
preferentially take patients to stroke centers. However,
there were not enough stroke centers to do that. This certification
paves the way for organized triage by paramedics to take
patients preferentially to JCAHO-certified primary stroke
centers.”
In order to receive JCAHO certification, the stroke center
underwent rigorous scrutiny to assure the deployment of rapid-response
stroke treatment teams; the operation of designated inpatient
stroke care units staffed by qualified stroke caregivers;
the use of comprehensive, written stroke care protocols;
the existence of an integrated system for managing stroke
patients; compliance with professional standards and a firm
commitment from both administrators and clinicians to provide
up-to-date community education about stroke risks, symptoms
and treatment.
State-of-the-art approaches to diagnosis, treatment and
prevention of stroke are offered at the Center. Innovative
therapies include endovascular (catheter-based) interventions
such as angioplasty, stenting and intra-arterial thrombolysis. “The
mainstay of acute care therapy is a tissue plasminogen activator
(t-PA) clot buster drug,” says Dr. Kasner, “which
must be given within three hours of stroke symptom onset.” More
than 700,000 Americans suffer from strokes each year.
The earlier the stroke patient is seen and treated, the
better the outcome. “Our biggest barrier is that we
have, for now, one singular therapy for acute stroke,” Dr.
Kasner says. “The problem is that the vast majority
of patients don’t arrive in time to benefit from this
therapy. That is why we are studying new therapies for stroke
that may offer a longer window of time.”
Clinical research is also ongoing in the areas of stroke
prevention and identification of risk factors, diagnosis
and evaluation of the stroke patient and best management
practices to stimulate recovery.
The stroke center is part of the Penn
Neurological Institute of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which provides
complete medical and surgical care for people with disorders
of the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system.
Many of the services offered by the stroke center are not
available at other area hospitals. The staff includes neurologists,
neurointensivists, neurosurgeons, neuroradiologists, specially
trained neuroscience nurses, physical and occupational therapists,
speech pathologists, neuropsycologists and rehabilitation
medicine physicians.
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Referring Physicians: To speak with a Penn physician
or refer a patient, contact PennHealth through the secure online
referral form or by calling
1-800-789-PENN
(7366). |
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