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Home News Certification Continued for Region’s First Primary Stroke Center

Certification Continued for Region’s First Primary Stroke Center

Published: Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Prestigious Certification First Earned by The University of Tennessee Medical Center in 2006

The Stroke Center at The University of Tennessee Medical Center was recently granted a continuation of its prestigious certification as a Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s predominant standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare.

In granting the continuation of certification for UT Medical Center, The Joint Commission’s intra-cycle process included a review of all stroke-related quality data. The accrediting organization also assessed how the medical center uses the data to improve patient care.

Ann Giffin, vice president of the Brain & Spine Institute at UT Medical Center, said The Joint Commission was particularly complimentary of the program’s extensive community activity. "Through screenings and education programs, we have focused on improving individual awareness of risk factors and the importance of responding immediately to any signs of stroke," Giffin said.

In 2006, UT Medical Center became the Knoxville region’s first certified Primary Stroke Center. For more information about the center, go to www.utmedicalcenter.org/stroke.  

The University of Tennessee Medical Center is a 581-bed, not-for-profit academic medical center, which serves as a referral center for Eastern Tennessee, Southeast Kentucky and Western North Carolina. The Medical Center, the region’s only Level I Trauma Center, is one of the largest employers in Knoxville. For more information about the University of Tennessee Medical Center, visit online at www.utmedicalcenter.org.