The stroke program at UK HealthCare is the focus of a lecture at an international medical conference
To illustrate advanced standards of stroke care in America, Dr. Sibu Saha presented an overview of UK HealthCare’s Stroke Program at the 59th Annual Congress of the International College of Angiology (ICA) on Thursday, September 7, in Vienna, Austria,
Dr. Saha received an invitation to present and co-chair a series of lectures on stroke care from his friend and colleague, Dr. Otmar Patchinger, the distinguished professor of cardiology from the Medical University of Innsbruck in Austria. The lecture series commenced immediately after the Congress’ opening ceremonies at the Marriott Hotel. It is the second consecutive year that Dr. Saha has represented UK HealthCare to the ICA. In 2016, he talked about UK as a leader in the development of University HealthCare Consortiums (UHCs).
Dr. Saha’s lecture for 2017, Structure of Stroke Centers – A Multidisciplinary Approach: American Perspective, focused on the extensive requirements that UK HealthCare’s stroke program had to meet or exceed to earn Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center (CSC) certification. In preparation for this lecture, Dr. Saha reached out to Dr. Jessica Lee, stroke medical director, Dr. Justin Fraser, cerebrovascular surgery director, and Margie Campbell, RN, BSN, Stroke Program Coordinator for UK CSC.
“The Stroke team worked with me to prepare this presentation. It was an excellent overview of UK HealthCare’s stroke program as well a breakdown of the requirements for CSC certification,” said Dr. Saha. “I believe my colleagues in Europe were impressed by the extensive range of services we are expected to provide.”
In general, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (TJC) certifies three levels of stroke care programs: Acute Stroke Ready Hospitals (ASRH), Primary Stroke Centers (PSC), and Comprehensive Stroke Centers (CSC.) The Comprehensive Stroke Center certification, which UK HealthCare maintains, is the highest measure of quality that a stroke program can achieve in the United States, according to Margie Campbell. The care standards are set by the TJC using guidelines suggested by the Brain Attack Coalition, a national consortium of professional medical associations that specialize in stroke treatment and research.
UK HealthCare has maintained CSC certification since 2014, Campbell added. In addition to advanced treatment, imaging, and dedicated neuro-ICU beds for the care of complex stroke patients, performance standards also outline pre and post hospital care coordination, performance measures and an extensive peer review process. UK HealthCare is also expected to participate in cutting edge stroke research, which, along with community education, is fundamental to the overall mission of an academic medical center.
