BayCare Hospitals Receive National Stroke Awards

BayCare Hospitals Receive National Stroke Awards

Clearwater, Fla. (Aug. 23, 2018)–Four BayCare hospitals in Hillsborough County have received top honors from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association for excellence in stroke care. St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa, St. Joseph’s Hospital-North in Lutz and St. Joseph’s Hospital-South in Riverview earned the Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Elite Quality Achievement Award, while South Florida Baptist Hospital in Plant City was presented with the Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The awards recognize the hospitals’ commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.

The hospitals earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. Before discharge, patients should also receive education on managing their health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.

“We are thrilled to be recognized as providing top-quality stroke care from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association,” said Kimberly Guy, BayCare senior vice president and market leader for Hillsborough County. “Treating this acute condition quickly and safely via nationally respected clinical guidelines is critical and we are committed to achieving the best possible outcomes for all our patients, as evidenced by these gold awards.”

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the fifth-leading cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds and nearly 795,000 people have a new or recurrent stroke each year.

“We are pleased to recognize St. Joseph’s Hospitals and South Florida Baptist Hospital for their commitment to stroke care,” added Eric E. Smith, M.D., national chairman of the Get With The Guidelines Steering Committee and an associate professor of neurology at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. “Research has shown that hospitals adhering to clinical measures through the Get With The Guidelines quality improvement initiative can often see fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates.”

About BayCare
BayCare is a leading not-for-profit health care system that connects individuals and families to a wide range of services at 15 hospitals and hundreds of other convenient locations throughout the Tampa Bay and west central Florida regions. Inpatient and outpatient services include acute care, primary care, imaging, laboratory, behavioral health, home care, and wellness. Our mission is to improve the health of all we serve through community-owned health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. For more information, visit www.BayCare.org.

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