St. Luke's Hospital's stroke care program recertified by the Joint Commission

Friday, January 05, 2007

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—St. Luke's Hospital has again earned the Gold Seal of Approval ™ for stroke care. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) recertified the hospital as a Primary Stroke Center after an on-site review conducted last month.

"The JCAHO review process leads to better patient care," says Mayo Clinic neurologist James Meschia, M.D., the stroke center's medical director. "Every organization can benefit from a comprehensive review on the way care is delivered by a fresh pair of eyes. It's gratifying that JCAHO recognized the continual work of our Stroke Team to improve patient care." The JCAHO surveyor who conducted the review commented, "Collaboration between the disciplines of Neurology, Neurosurgery, Emergency Medicine and Interventional Radiology is evident. The Emergency Department Medical Director is committed to the delivery of excellent stroke care ... The Neuroscience Program in one of the four cornerstones of the St Luke's Hospital. Much effort has been put into the development of stroke education for stroke team members as well as staff nurses."

The stroke program at St. Luke's started in 2003 with the mission to provide the best care to every patient through clinical practice, research and education. The stroke center was initially certified by JCAHO in December 2004. The program includes a multidisciplinary team of physicians from emergency medicine, neurology, neurosurgery and interventional radiology as well as nursing and rehabilitation services, pharmacy, radiology and social work. The program participates in numerous clinical trials in stroke prevention, treatment and genetics and is associated with Mayo Clinic's neurology residency program.

Joint Commission certification means the program complies with the national standards in the implementation of established clinical practice guidelines, performance measurements and continuous improvement programs for the care of stroke patients.

The Joint Commission is an independent not-for-profit organization and the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health-care. It evaluates and accredits more than 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 7,800 hospitals and home-care organizations.

Each year about 700,000 people experience a stroke. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States and the leading cause of serious, long-term disability.

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To obtain the latest news releases from Mayo Clinic, go to www.mayoclinic.org/news. MayoClinic.com is available as a resource for your health stories.