GLASGOW, KY - T.J. Samson Community Hospital has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Bronze QualityAchievement Award. The award recognizes the hospital’scommitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.
?T.J. Samson Community Hospital earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. Before discharge, patients should also receive education on managing their health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.
?“T.J. Samson is dedicated to improving the quality of care for our stroke patients by implementing the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke initiative,” said Neil Thornbury, CEO of T.J. Regional Health. “The tools and resources provided help us track and measure our success in meeting evidenced-based clinical guidelines developed to improve patient outcomes.”
?T.J. Samson Community Hospital received the designation of Acute Stroke Ready Hospital in September 2019, featuring a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department. After receiving this designation, many hospitals take more than a year to achieve the Bronze award. The Hospital will be eligible for the next tier, the Silver Achievement Award, if performance is sustained for the next 12 months, and for the Gold award for 24 months of sustained performance.
?“We are pleased to recognize T.J. Samson Community Hospital for their commitment to stroke care,” said Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., national chairperson of the Quality Oversight Committee and Executive Vice Chair of Neurology, Director of Acute Stroke Services, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. “Research has shown that hospitals adhering to clinical measures through the Get With The Guidelines® quality improvement initiative can often see fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates.”
?According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.
