The Joint Commission and American Heart Association (AHA) and American Stroke Association (ASA) have chosen the Hospital of the University Pennsylvania (HUP) to receive an advanced comprehensive stroke center certification. The recognition comes in response to HUP’s compliance with The Joint Commission’s standards for Disease-Specific Care Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification.
The certification makes HUP the first center in Philadelphia to receive the stroke center status and ranks it among a select few hospitals in the US to be named as part of a group of providers focused on complex stroke care, according to a university news release. The release notes that the Advanced Certification for Comprehensive Stroke Centers (CSCs) was launched in September 2012 in collaboration with the AHA/ASA’s Brain Attack Coalition.
Mark R. Chassin, MD, FACP, MPP, MPH, president, The Joint Commission, notes that, “By achieving this advanced certification, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania has thoroughly demonstrated the greatest level of commitment to the care of its patients with a complex stroke condition.”
Mark J. Alberts, MD, FAHA, AHA/ASA spokesperson, incoming vice-chair of neurology and neurotherapeutics at UT Southwestern Medical Center, echoes Chassin’s sentiments and extends that associations’ congratulations to HUP and emphasizes the role of Comprehensive Stroke Centers in offering a high level of care for patients with the most severe and challenging types of strokes and cerebrovascular disease.
The university adds that Penn Medicine extends stroke care to patients throughout the region through the Penn NeuroRescue program, using telemedicine systems to bring daily expert consultations to remote hospitals and transferring those who need surgery and/or specialized neurointensive critical care to HUP.
Source: Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
