Stroke

UPMC in central Pa. provides fast and effective treatment for acute stroke patients, saving lives and improving outcomes.

UPMC in central Pa. has participated in the Get with the Guidelines (GWTG) Stroke Program since 2005. The program has helped us to establish practice guidelines for the care of acute stroke patients, monitor the care we provide, and identify opportunities for improvement.

UPMC in Central Pa. is a Primary Stroke Center

Disease-specific certification programs have recognized UPMC in central Pa. hospitals as Primary Stroke Centers. In order to achieve primary stroke center certification, hospitals must meet rigorous standards that support better outcomes for stroke care.

Eligibility standards include:

• A dedicated stroke-focused program
• Staffing by qualified medical professionals trained in stroke care
• Individualized care to meet stroke patient's needs
• Patient involvement in their hospital care
• Coordination of post-discharge patient self-care based on recommendations from the Brain Attack Coalition and guidelines published by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association
• Streamlined flow of patient information while protecting patient rights, security, and privacy
• Collection of the hospital's stroke treatment performance data
• Use of data to assess and continually improve the quality of care for stroke patients

This certification is provided through a partnership between the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association and The Joint Commission, the nation's largest independent health care evaluation body.

For 2020 UPMC Harrisburg, Community General Osteopathic, and West Shore hospitals received the GWTG Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. This award recognizes the hospital's commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines derived from the latest scientific evidence. These hospitals also received the Target Stroke Honor Roll Stroke recognition. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient's arrival at the hospital and treatment with clot-buster or tPA, which is the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of ischemic stroke.

Contact Us

If you have questions about UPMC in central Pa.'s quality information or data, please contact our Performance Improvement Department at 717-231-8469.

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