The American Heart Association’s 2024 Get with the Guideline Stroke GoldPlus quality achievement award was recently given to Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah for providing stroke patients with the highest level of care that is saving lives and reducing disability.
Stroke is the fifth-leading cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States. According to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, strokes were the sixth leading cause of death in 2020.
A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so brain cells die. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability, and accelerating recovery times.
The Get With the Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research- and evidence-based guidelines. This program helps improve stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.
The Intermountain Health team of specialists has developed protocols that shorten the amount of time it takes to diagnose and treat a stroke. This is important because a quick diagnosis and treatment can mean less long-term damage, less disability, and better overall outcomes.
Intermountain Health offers a full spectrum of specialized care that ranges from neuro critical care through acute care and into rehabilitation and outpatient therapy.
“This recognition reflects the unwavering dedication of our team of physicians, APPs, nurses, and technicians to the community we are so honored to serve. We have a saying in neurology that ‘Time is Brain’, because the sooner we treat stroke patients, the better their outcomes will be,” said Katherine Thomas, MD, chief medical officer for Intermountain Medical Center.
“We are committed to continually assessing and refining our stroke processes while leveraging our incredible caregivers to ensure that every patient receives the highest quality stroke care.”
“We are incredibly pleased to recognize Intermountain Medical Center for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, MD, volunteer chairperson of the American Heart Association Stroke System of Care Advisory Group and professor of neurology and director of fellowships of neurology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. “Participation in Get With the Guidelines is associated with improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates – a win for health care systems, families and communities.”
Intermountain Medical Center also received the American Heart Association’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus award, the AHA’s Honor Roll Advanced Therapy award, and the AHA’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award.
To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with thrombolytic therapy. Additionally, hospitals must meet specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment to remove the clot causing the stroke.
“Intermountain Medical Center is committed to improving patient care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines,” said Dr. Thomas. “The Get With the Guidelines program makes it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, which studies show can help patients recover better. The end goal is to ensure more people in our community experience longer, healthier lives.”
The Target: Type 2 Diabetes program aims to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke.
About Intermountain Health
Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a nonprofit system of 34 hospitals, 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For more information or updates, see https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.
