Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center receives national recognition for excellence in stroke care

Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award, the highest achievement award that recognizes the hospital’s commitment to providing the most appropriate stroke treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines.

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the fifth cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. Hospitals must achieve at least 85 percent adherence to all Get With The Guidelines-Stroke achievement indicators for two or more consecutive 12-month periods and achieve 75 percent or higher compliance with five of eight Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality measures to receive the Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award.

Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center has also been named to the American Heart Association/America Stroke Association’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite. To receive this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke. If given intravenously in the first three hours after the start of stroke symptoms, tPA has been shown to significantly reduce the effects of stroke and lessen the chance of permanent disability.

The Get With The Guidelines and Target: Stroke Honor Roll quality measures are designed to help hospital teams follow the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients.

“We are pleased to receive this recognition from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association of our team’s dedication to comprehensive stroke care,” says Minna Masor, neurosciences clinical coordinator at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center. “Our stroke program combines high-quality, innovative care with public outreach and education as a means to minimize the irreparable damage that can be caused by this disease.”

Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center is also certified by the national accrediting body DNV-GL as a Primary Stroke Center. This certification demonstrates Illinois Masonic’s preparedness to treat stroke patients and serve as a referral or educational resource center for other healthcare organizations and professionals.