Ocala Regional Medical Center Achieves Certification as “Advanced Primary Stroke Center”
Ocala, FL (June 8, 2010) - Ocala Regional Medical Center has earned the Gold Seal of Approval™ from The Joint Commission as an Advanced Primary Stroke Center. Ocala Regional Medical Center earned this distinction after the Joint Commission conducted an on-site review in April.
As an Advanced Primary Stroke Center, the Hospital provides immediate coverage 24-hour a day, 7 days a week by a highly trained stroke team. The team consists of emergency department physicians and nurses, radiologists, neurologists, teleneurologists, CAT scan and lab technicians and pharmacists.
"We’re proud to achieve this distinction," says H. Rex Etheredge, Ocala Health System chief executive officer. "Certification by the Joint Commission as an Advanced Primary Stroke Center recognizes our hospitals’ commitment to providing outstanding stroke care to our patients and our community."
Ocala Heath System partners with the Marion County EMS to identify patients with a possible need for stroke team intervention. Before the patient enters the hospital, a stroke alert is issued by paramedics to alert the team to be prepared for rapid diagnosis and treatment. Activation of the stroke team provides patients with the best chance of receiving critical treatment such as the "clot-busting" drug, tPA. These types of treatments delivered rapidly may improve the odds of survival and minimize the disability that can occur with acute stroke. After admission, the stroke team continues specialized patient care to prevent the complications of stroke. Rehabilitation services, including physical therapists, speech therapists, and occupational therapists work with the physicians and nursing staff to plan and provide individualized, intensive rehabilitation therapy.
The Joint Commission's Primary Stroke Center Certification program was developed in collaboration with the American Stroke Association. It is based on the Brain Attack Coalition's "Recommendations for the Establishment of Primary Stroke Centers." The program was launched —the nation’s first—in 2003. Achievement of certification signifies that the services Ocala health Services provides meet critical elements to achieve long-term success in improving outcomes. It is a signal to our community that the quality care we provide is effectively managed to meet the unique and specialized needs of stroke patients.
Certified Primary Stroke Centers:
- Use a standardized method of delivering care based on the Brain Attack Coalition recommendations for establishment of primary stroke centers.
- Support a patient’s self-management activities.
- Tailor treatment and intervention to individual needs.
- Promote the flow of patient information across settings and providers, while protecting patient rights, security and privacy.
- Analyze and use standardized performance measure data to continually improve treatment plans.
- Demonstrate their application of and compliance with the clinical practice guidelines published by the AHA/ASA or equivalent evidence-based guidelines.
About Ocala Health System
Selected as one of America’s “50 Best Hospital” Ocala Health System is the health organization which encompasses Ocala Regional Medical Center, a 200-bed facility located in the heart of Ocala, and West Marion Community Hospital, a 70-bed hospital located in West Marion County. The organization includes the only Commission on Cancer approved cancer center in Marion County and is directly affiliated with the Moffitt Cancer Center. The hospitals offer a host of other quality and award winning services including bariatric surgery, cardiac and vascular services including open heart surgery and interventional procedures, emergency, neurological and rehabilitation services including neurosurgery and cardiac rehab, and a variety of outpatient services.
;){kind=link}