Knoxville Region's First Certified Primary Stroke Center

The University of Tennessee Medical Center, the first certified Primary Stroke Center in the Knoxville region, was recently recertified by The Joint Commission. The medical center achieved this designation by meeting all required standards for stroke care and patient safety. The Joint Commission was complimentary of the medical center’s strong commitment to quality patient outcomes and noted no requirements were needed for improvement.

The University of Tennessee Medical Center was the first in the region to earn the prestigious Primary Stroke Center Certification from the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). The accolade, recognized as the Gold Seal of Approval™ for stroke care, comes after an on-site review by JCAHO, the nation’s predominant standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare.

“The University of Tennessee Medical Center’s commitment to offering the highest level of stroke care is demonstrated by achieving Joint Commission certification,” said Joseph R. Landsman, Jr., president and CEO of the University of Tennessee Medical Center. “The achievement of this certification status reinforces the commitment of our physicians and staff to comply with demonstrated standards that have been proven to improve outcomes for stroke patients.”

JCAHO primary stroke center certification recognizes centers that make exceptional efforts to foster better outcomes for stroke care. “In order to achieve this designation, the medical center organized a multidisciplinary stroke team of physicians, nurses and therapists to plan, implement, monitor and improve the care of patients who suffer from stroke,” said Dr. Kent Hutson, medical director of the Stroke Center. “The stroke team collaborates with Emergency Medical Services, regional emergency rooms and the community to ensure prompt identification of symptoms and implementation of treatment interventions with the goal of reducing the long-term impact of stroke.”

Stroke is the number-three cause of death and the number-one cause of disability in the United States. Those living in the Southeast have a higher incidence of stroke than other parts of the country. As further evidence of its commitment, in the last three years the hospital provided more than 22,000 people in the community with education on stroke symptom identification and risk factor reduction. It conducted 1,300 community screenings for identification of individual risks and hosted the first Stroke Symposium in August 2008.
“Nearly 700,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke each year in the United States,” said Ann Giffin, vice president of the Brain and Spine Institute at UT Medical Center. “Stroke is the nation’s third leading cause of death, which means we must ensure that our stroke care, prevention measures and education at the medical center are superior.”

On average, someone suffers a stroke every 45 seconds in America. Someone dies from a stroke every three minutes. Stroke is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States, with nearly five million stroke survivors alive today. Americans will pay about $57.9 billion this year for stroke-related medical costs and disability.

“The University of Tennessee Medical Center demonstrated that its stroke care program follows national standards and guidelines that can significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients,” said Charles A. Mowll, executive vice president, Business Development, Government and External Relations, Joint Commission.

The Stroke Team collaborates with EMS, regional emergency rooms and the community to ensure prompt identification of symptoms and implementation of treatment interventions with the goal of reducing the long term impact of stroke.
The University of Tennessee Medical Center is committed to providing the highest level of care to patients with a potential diagnosis of stroke by treating stroke with the same urgency as trauma or chest pain.

The Joint Commission’s Primary Stroke Center Certification is based on the recommendations for primary stroke centers published by the Brain Attack Coalition and the American Stroke Association’s statements and guidelines for stroke care. The Joint Commission launched the program – the nation’s first – in 2003. Currently, only four other hospitals in the state of Tennessee have earned this certification.

Click here for more about stroke services.

Click here to read more about the process for achieving stroke center certification.