Washington Regional Receives Four National Awards for Stroke Care
Washington Regional Medical Center has earned four American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Get With The Guidelines® Achievement Awards for stroke care.
Washington Regional achieved the Get With The Guidelines® Stroke Gold Plus, Honor Roll Elite Plus, Advanced Therapy and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll awards, which recognize the hospital’s commitment to ensuring patients experiencing stroke receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence. Washington Regional met specific criteria to achieve each award.
Get With The Guidelines® Stroke Gold Plus Washington Regional earned this recognition by reaching an aggressive goal of treating patients in accordance to core standard levels of care as outlined by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association® for two consecutive calendar years or more. In addition, hospitals earning this recognition have demonstrated compliance to an additional level of quality during the 24-month or greater period. This is the eighth consecutive year Washington Regional has achieved the Gold Plus designation.
Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Elite Plus award To qualify for this recognition, Washington Regional met quality measures to reduce the time between a patient’s arrival to the hospital and treatment with intravenous clot-busting medication to reduce the effects of stroke and lower the chance of permanent disability. This is the fourth time Washington Regional has earned this designation.
Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Advanced Therapy award Hospitals that qualify for this recognition achieved treatment times of 90 minutes or less in 50% of patients arriving directly to our facility and within 60 minutes or less for 50% of patients transferred from another facility. This is the fourth consecutive year Washington Regional has achieved this recognition.
Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll - Stroke Washington Regional achieved this recognition by meeting quality measures developed by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association with an Overall Diabetes Cardiovascular Initiative Composite Score of 80% or greater. This is the fifth consecutive year Washington Regional has achieved the Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award, which was introduced in 2020.
One in four people will have a stroke, and stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States according to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. As the only hospital in Northwest Arkansas to be certified as a Comprehensive Stroke Center by The Joint Commission, Washington Regional is equipped to treat the most complex stroke cases with a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke that includes 24/7 in-person care with stroke experts, a dedicated neurosurgical intensive care unit, neuro progressive unit, and specialty clinics that provide follow-up care and education.
“Washington Regional is honored to once again be recognized by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association,” Director of Neuro Services Kasha Pinkerton said. “Washington Regional provides the area’s highest level of stroke care, and this achievement highlights our commitment to improving the health of people in the communities we serve. The Mission: Lifeline and Get With The Guidelines programs make it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, which helps us ensure more people experience longer, healthier lives.”
“These awards show Washington Regional's commitment to caring for those in their community who need cardiovascular care,” said Donald Lloyd-Jones, chair of the American Heart Association Quality Oversight Committee and chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern Medicine. “By following the American Heart Association’s quality improvement protocols, Washington Regional can help realize our shared vision of improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates – a win for health care systems, families and communities.”