ETMC Tyler recognized by AHA for stroke care

ETMC Tyler is recognized as a silver-award-inner for stroke care by the American Heart Association in the U.S. News and World Report annual hospital issue. The AHA notes the honor is for "turning guidelines into lifelines."

As a participant in the AHA's "Get With the Guidelines" program for in-hospital quality-improvement of stroke care, ETMC receives a Silver 2007 Annual Performance Award from the AHA and is listed in the AHA's three-page advertising section in U.S. News.

The silver denotes "hospitals that have completed 12 consecutive months of participation at 85% or higher adherence to all performance measures."

Certified stroke center
"ETMC is certified as a stroke center by the Joint Commission. As part of earning that designation we adopted AHA's Get With the Guidelines," explained Troy Thibodeaux, ETMC Tyler vice president, operations. "The AHA guidelines provide evidence-based guidelines for the treatment of stroke, among other conditions."

Providing consistent care tied to national benchmarks helps assure that patients receive top-level care especially for an emergency condition such stroke.

"We've made a real effort to familiarize physicians and all healthcare professionals with the most successful protocols as outlined in the guidelines," Thibodeaux said. The speed with which the right care is delivered is significant in achieving positive outcomes and the best possible recovery, Thibodeaux explained. "We see our stroke program as an important part of the care beginning at our Level 1 Trauma Center and continuing throughout the treatment and rehabilitation processes because stroke is a major health threat to East Texans and their quality of life."

East Texas ranks high in stroke-related deaths in state health statistics. "We're pleased with the AHA recognition because it indicates our efforts are meeting or exceeding national standards. It's a confirmation that the care we provide is on a par with hospitals across the nation," Thibodeaux said.

Posted 7/18/2007