SCRANTON — Geisinger Community Medical Center (GCMC) received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite. The award recognizes GCMC’s commitment to providing the most appropriate stroke treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.

Hospitals must achieve 85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines-Stroke achievement indicators for two or more consecutive 12-month periods and achieve 75 percent or higher compliance with five of eight Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality measures to receive the Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award.

Get With The Guidelines-Stroke helps hospital teams provide the most up-to-date, research-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. GCMC 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 aggressive use of medications and risk-reduction therapies aimed at reducing death and disability and improving the lives of stroke patients.

GCMC also received the association’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite for meeting stroke quality measures that reduce the time between hospital arrival and treatment with the clot-buster tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke. People who suffer a stroke and receive the drug within three hours of the onset of symptoms may recover quicker and are less likely to suffer severe disability. GCMC earned the award for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients within 60 minutes in 75 percent or more acute ischemic stroke patients treated with tPA.

GCMC has also met specific scientific guidelines as a Primary Stroke Center, featuring a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department.

Two other Geisinger hospitals were also awarded including Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre, which received the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus. Geisinger Medical Center in Danville received the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Quality Achievement Award with Target: Stroke Honor Roll.

From left, first row, Geisinger Community Medical Center Neurologist Dr. Uzzal Roy, M.D.; Margaret Kester, RN, BSN, CRC, stroke coordinator, GCMC. Secpmd row, Maureen Monczewski, RN, BSN, nurse navigator, neurology services, GCMC; Barbara Bossi, RN, FACHE, vice president, ancillary services, GCMC: Dr. Anthony Aquilina, chief medical officer, GCMC: Tawny Jackson, director of quality improvement, Great Rivers Affiliate, American Heart/Stroke Association; Edward Chabalowski, vice president and chief financial officer, GCMC; Angela Groody, stroke program coordinator, Geisinger Health System; Lisa Golden, MHA, BSN, RN, ACM, chief administrative officer; Angelo Venditti, DNP, MBA, RN, FACHE, NEA-BC, vice president of nursing and chief nursing officer, GCMC.
http://www.theabingtonjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_ABJ-GCMC-Award.jpg.optimal.jpgFrom left, first row, Geisinger Community Medical Center Neurologist Dr. Uzzal Roy, M.D.; Margaret Kester, RN, BSN, CRC, stroke coordinator, GCMC. Secpmd row, Maureen Monczewski, RN, BSN, nurse navigator, neurology services, GCMC; Barbara Bossi, RN, FACHE, vice president, ancillary services, GCMC: Dr. Anthony Aquilina, chief medical officer, GCMC: Tawny Jackson, director of quality improvement, Great Rivers Affiliate, American Heart/Stroke Association; Edward Chabalowski, vice president and chief financial officer, GCMC; Angela Groody, stroke program coordinator, Geisinger Health System; Lisa Golden, MHA, BSN, RN, ACM, chief administrative officer; Angelo Venditti, DNP, MBA, RN, FACHE, NEA-BC, vice president of nursing and chief nursing officer, GCMC. Submitted photo

For Abington Journal

Information provided by Geisinger Community Medical Center.