Comprehensive Stroke Center designation
The Joint Commission, in collaboration with the American Heart Association and American Stroke Associations Brain Attack Coalition, certifies Nebraska Medical Center as a Comprehensive Stroke Center. This is the highest level of stroke certification available. This advanced designation by the nation’s largest independent health care evaluation body means that the Nebraska Medical Center is equipped to handle the most complex stroke cases. Nebraska Medical Center is the only health care facility in the region to receive this certification.
The requirements to be a Comprehensive Stroke Center include:
- Having a dedicated neurosciences intensive care unit for complex stroke patients that provides neuro-critical care 24 hours a day, seven days a week
- Use of advanced imaging capabilities
- Provide care to 20 or more patients with a diagnosis of subarachnoid hemorrhage every year
- Perform 15 or more endovascular coiling or surgical clipping procedures for aneurysms every year
- Administer intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) to an average of 15 or more patients every year
- Use of a peer-review process to evaluate and monitor the care provided to patients with ischemic stroke and subarachnoid hemorrhage
- Participate in stroke clinical research
Get With The Guidelines® Gold Plus Achievement Award
The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association have recognized both Nebraska Medical Center and Bellevue Medical Center with the Get With The Guidelines® Gold Plus Achievement Award. The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association give this award to hospitals that have reached an aggressive goal of treating patients with 85% or higher compliance to core standard levels of care as outlined for two consecutive calendar years. These hospitals must have also demonstrated 75% compliance to 7 out of 10 stroke quality measures during the past 12-month period.
Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus
The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association awarded Nebraska Medical Center with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus recognition. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke. The Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus recognition is given to hospitals that demonstrate door-to-needle administration of intravenous tPA within 60 minutes in 75% or more of eligible patients and within 45 minutes in 50% of eligible patients.
Target: Stroke Honor Roll
The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association awarded Bellevue Medical Center with Target: Stroke Honor Roll recognition. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must achieve door-to-needle administration of IV tPA within 60 minutes in 50% or more of eligible patients.