Mission Hospital’s stroke program recognized for excellence in care

Press release

From Mission Health

Mission Hospital’s Stroke Program Receives Fourth Consecutive Get With The Guidelines® Award for Exceptional Care
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (March 13, 2013) – The American Heart Association (AHA) and American Stroke Association (ASA) awarded Mission Hospital’s stroke program top honors for excellence in caring for stroke patients in 2012. For the fourth consecutive year, the Hospital received the “Gold Plus” Quality Award in the AHA/ASA Get With The Guidelines® Stroke program. Mission Hospital also was named to the Target: Stroke Honor Roll.

“It is an honor for our stroke program to be recognized for a fourth consecutive year by the AHA and ASA,” said Jonathan Bailey, MHA, Vice President of Operations at Mission Health. “We are dedicated to performing at a consistently high level, and our physicians, nurses and staff should be commended for their commitment to implementing high standards of care and effective protocols for treating stroke patients.”

Mission Hospital demonstrated strong compliance with each of the recommendations associated with the Get With The Guidelines® award, scoring 85 percent or higher on these recommendations for two or more consecutive 12-month periods. Additionally, its stroke program scored 75 percent or higher on 6 of the 10 quality measures associated with the Get With The Guidelines® award.

These measures include the use of treatments such as tissue plasminogen activators (tPA), anti-thrombotics, anti-coagulation therapy, and cholesterol- reducing drugs, as well as the implementation of smoking cessation programs – all of which are aimed at improving outcomes.

Mission Hospital was named to the Target: Stroke Honor Roll, a listing of hospitals recognized by the AHA/ASA for excellence in stroke care. The Target: Stroke program was created by the AHA/ASA to encourage hospitals to achieve a time of 60 minutes or less between the time an ischemic stroke patient enters the facility and the time the patient receives thrombolytic therapy. This rate of response is achieved in part by implementing evidence-based strategies, clinical-decision support and key measurement tools.

“As the region’s primary stroke center, Mission Hospital must stay educated on the latest evidence-based protocol,” said Alex Schneider, MD, Medical Director of the Mission Hospital Stroke Program. “We also have an aging population that is particularly susceptible to strokes, and therefore, we must remain focused on employing advanced procedures and state-of-the-art technology to improve outcomes.”

About Mission Hospital
Mission Hospital, based in Asheville, N.C., is a not-for-profit hospital that serves as the regional referral center for tertiary and quaternary care in western North Carolina and the adjoining region. Mission Hospital is the busiest surgical hospital in North Carolina and houses the region’s only dedicated Level II trauma center. It also includes Mission Children’s Hospital– the regions only children’s hospital. Mission Hospital has seven Centers of Excellence: Cancer, Heart, Mission Children’s Hospital, Neurosciences, Orthopedics, Trauma and Women’s Health.
Mission Hospital is the flagship hospital of Mission Health, named in 2012 as one of the nation’s Top 15 Health Systems by Thomson Reuters – the only health system in North Carolina to receive this recognition. This year, Mission Hospital was named as one of the nation’s Top 100 Hospitals for the fifth consecutive year by Truven Health Analytics, formerly known as Thomson Reuters. Professional Research Consultants ranked Mission Hospital in the top 15 percent nationally in patient satisfaction in 2012. Mission Hospital is licensed for 730 beds and employs more than 6,500 people, including over 1,800 RNs. Mission Hospital is committed to serving its community and improving the health and wellness of the people of western North Carolina. For more information, please visit mission-health.org.

About Mission Health
Mission Health, based in Asheville, N.C., is the state’s sixth-largest health system and the region’s only not-for-profit, independent community hospital system governed and managed exclusively in western North Carolina. In 2012, Mission Health was named one of the nation’s Top 15 Health Systems by Thomson Reuters – the only health system in North Carolina to receive this recognition.

Mission Health, which traces its roots in the region back to 1885, operates five hospitals, numerous outpatient and surgery centers, and the region’s only dedicated Level II trauma center. Its medical staff consists of more than 1,000 physicians and is certified in over 50 medical specialties and sub-specialties. Mission Health has seven Centers of Excellence: Cancer, Heart, Mission Children’s Hospital, Neurosciences, Orthopedics, Trauma and Women’s Health. Mission Hospital, located in Asheville, is the system’s flagship hospital and is licensed for 730 beds. It is the regional referral center for tertiary and quaternary care and is the busiest surgical hospital in North Carolina. It also includes Mission Children’s Hospital– the region’s only children’s hospital. Other Mission Health member hospitals include Angel Medical Center in Franklin, Blue Ridge Regional Hospital in Spruce Pine, McDowell Hospital in Marion and Transylvania Regional Hospital in Brevard. With approximately 8,800 employees and 700 volunteers, Mission Health is dedicated to improving the health and wellness of the people of western North Carolina. For more information, please visit mission-health.org.