The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association has recognized the University of Chicago Medicine (UChicago Medicine) as a Comprehensive Stroke Center. This designation is a new level of certification reserved for institutions with specific abilities to receive and treat the most complex strokes, according to a University of Chicago Medical Center news release. UChicago Medicine is the first hospital in Chicago to earn this distinction, and according to the UChicago news release, there is no higher stroke certification.
This Comprehensive Stroke Center certification recognizes as industry leaders and are “responsible for setting the national agenda in highly-specialized stroke care,” according to the Joint Commission. Joint Commission president Mark R. Chassin, MD, FACP, MPP, MPH, states, “By achieving this advanced certification, the University of Chicago Medicine has thoroughly demonstrated the greatest level of commitment to the care of its patients with a complex stroke condition.”
The UChicago news release indicates that the Joint Commission surveyors evaluated UChicago Medicine and its stroke center on July 29 and 30. The medical center was notified that it met or exceeded all comprehensive stroke center requirements and standards and had been granted comprehensive status on October 3. The designation is made following a rigorous application process that includes a review of volume of cases, advanced imaging and care capabilities, and availability of specialized treatments, among other criteria.
Jeff Frank, MD, co-director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center at the University of Chicago Medicine, says, “This is quite a distinction and a powerful confirmation of the strength of our multidisciplinary team and their ability to work together to help complicated stroke patients.”
Erick Beck, DO, medical director of the EMS system for the city of Chicago, says, “Comprehensive Stroke Center accreditation by the Joint Commission is an important differentiator. It recognizes the University of Chicago Medicine’s focus on providing the highest quality of care for stroke patients as well as an institutional commitment to the regional system of care.”
Source: University of Chicago Medical Center
