The Regional Medical Center of Orangeburg and Calhoun Counties was recently recognized for earning The Joint Commissions Gold Seal of Approval and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Associations Heart-Check mark for Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers.
The Gold Seal of Approval and the Heart-Check mark represent symbols of quality from their respective organizations. RMC achieved recertification; its original certification was in 2012.
To achieve this recertification, RMC underwent a rigorous onsite review in December 2014. The Joint Commission experts evaluated compliance with stroke-related standards and requirements, including program management, the delivery of clinical care and performance improvement.
The Regional Medical Center has thoroughly demonstrated the greatest level of commitment to the care of stroke patients through its Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers, said Michele Sacco, M.S., interim executive director, Certification Programs. We commend RMC for becoming a leader in stroke care, potentially providing a higher standard of service for stroke patients in its community.
Stroke is the number four cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States, according to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. 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 the Regional Medical Center for achieving this designation, said Nancy Brown, chief executive officer, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. By adhering to this very specific set of treatment guidelines, RMC has clearly made it a priority to deliver high quality care to all patients affected by stroke.
The Regional Medical Center is pleased to receive advanced recertification from The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, said Mohammed Alhatou, MD, medical director of RMC Primary Stroke Center. The certification provides us with the opportunity to highlight the exceptional stroke care we provide as well as to continually strive to advance our care even further. In 2014, RMC earned the Get With The Guidelines- Stroke Silver-Plus Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures. These measures provide the most up-to-date, research-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. RMC earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include aggressive use of medications and risk-reduction therapies aimed at reducing death and disability and improving the lives of stroke patients.
Established in 2003, Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers is awarded for a two-year period to Joint Commission-accredited acute care hospitals. The certification was derived from the Brain Attack Coalitions Recommendations for the Establishment of Primary Stroke Centers (JAMA, 2000) and the Revised and Updated Recommendations for the Establishment of Primary Stroke Centers (Stroke, 2011).
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Stroke care leader: RMC awarded advanced certification