Mercy Health Hospitals Earn Primary Stroke Center Certification

Mercy Health - Cincinnati, which provides advanced, compassionate, quality care in your neighborhood through its care network, announces that Mercy Health - Anderson, Fairfield and West Hospitals have earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark for Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers. They join The Jewish Hospital in earning Primary Stroke Center certification.

Additionally, The Joint Commission awarded Mercy Health – Clermont Hospital and Mt. Orab Medical Center Acute Stroke Ready Hospital certifications.

The Gold Seal of Approval® and the Heart-Check mark represent symbols of quality from their respective organizations.

“Mercy Health’s Cincinnati-area hospitals underwent rigorous onsite reviews to earn these certifications. Joint Commission experts evaluated our compliance with stroke-related standards and requirements, how we manage our program, how we deliver clinical care and how we drive performance improvement,” said Mike Garfield, Mercy Health – Cincinnati CEO and Senior Vice President. “I thank our team for their diligent preparation for these reviews and for their dedication to providing excellent care to patients. Thanks to their efforts, Mercy Health can highlight the exceptional stroke care we provide our patients.”

Erin Fries, MD, Mercy Health – Cincinnati Chief Clinical Officer also noted that “Rapid access to a primary stroke center allows for more timely administration of treatment for patients experiencing a stroke and leads to better long-term health outcomes.”

“Mercy Health’s Cincinnati-area hospitals have thoroughly demonstrated the greatest level of commitment to the care of stroke patients through their Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers. In addition, Clermont Hospital and Mt. Orab Medical Center showed that they can care for stroke patients and stabilize them until they are ready for transfer to a Primary Stroke Center,” said Patrick Phelan, executive director, Hospital Business Development, The Joint Commission. “We commend Mercy Health for its effort to become a leader in stroke care, potentially providing a higher standard of service for stroke patients in its community.”

“We congratulate Mercy Health’s hospitals for achieving these designations,” said Nancy Brown, chief executive officer, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. “By adhering to this very specific set of treatment guidelines the hospitals have clearly made it a priority to deliver high quality care to all patients affected by stroke.”

Established in 2003, Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers is awarded for a two-year period to Joint Commission-accredited acute care hospitals. The certification was derived from the Brain Attack Coalition’s “Recommendations for the Establishment of Primary Stroke Centers” (JAMA, 2000) and the “Revised and Updated Recommendations for the Establishment of Primary Stroke Centers” (Stroke, 2011).

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Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 21,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. An independent, nonprofit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.

The American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association are devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke- America’s No. 1 and No. 4 killers. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based American Heart Association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. The American Stroke Association is a division of the American Heart Association. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org or call any of our offices around the country. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. The familiar Heart-Check mark now helps consumers evaluate their choices in hospital care. Each mark given to a hospital is earned by meeting specific standards for the care of patients with heart disease and/or stroke. The Heart-Check mark can only be displayed by hospitals that have achieved and defined requirements set by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. For more information on the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Hospital Accreditation Program visit www.heart.org/myhospital.