Stroke centers provide care and rehabilitation to stroke victims.
Primary Stroke Center Certification (PSCC) is awarded to healthcare facilities who meet the criteria of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCHAO). The PSCC program evaluates the quality of care given to stroke victims in hospitals and care facilities across the United States. The JCHAO accredit thousands of healthcare programs and is ruled by a board of commissioners that includes medical directors, physicians, nurses and health plan administrators. The PSCC scheme uses information on stroke care provided by the American Stroke Association (ASA) and the Brain Attack Coalition (BAC).
Certification Standards Requirements
Institutes are required to comply with national standards regulating stroke care and clinical practice. A stroke center must demonstrate performance evaluation tools to assess and improve care for stroke victims. Stroke centers must also have excellent standards of program management, clinical information and self-management initiatives.
Get With The Guidelines - Stroke is a program devised by the ASA, which advises hospitals on effective techniques for gathering and analyzing data for stroke victims and effective methods for physicians, nursing staff and other healthcare professionals to assess their performances. The course also offers crucial guidelines on treating and discharging patients. These guidelines must be strictly adhered to if a stroke center wishes to gain certification through the JCHAO.
The ASA hosts a range of professional development opportunities, such as the International Stroke Conference, which assists stroke care teams develop the necessary skills and knowledge needed to acquire the PSCC certification. The ASA also formulated the Acute Stroke Treatment Program (ASTP), which assists hospital meet the necessary infrastructure requirements to start up and gain certification as a primary stoke center.
Recertification Requirements
The JCHAO offers one-year certification to primary stoke centers who adhere to all of these criteria. To gain a one year certificate extension, stroke centers are required to submit documents outlining their continuing adherence to care standards and performance evaluation. Primary stroke centers are required to undergo an on-site assessment every two years.
Advanced Certification Requirements
The JCHAO also offer an advanced certificate called the Certificate of Distinction for Primary Stroke Centers. This is given to centers that demonstrate exceptional efforts in ensuring optimum outcomes for victims of stroke. Institutes that apply for advanced certification are required to attain high standards in areas such as performance evaluation and treatment development plans, tailoring care to individual needs and helping patients self-manage their condition.
Ongoing Requirements
As of January 2010, certified stroke centers are required to collect data on certain National Inpatient Hospital Quality Measures for the victims of stroke. Stroke centers are required to submit quarterly data to the JCHOA on eight key areas including thrombolytic therapy, stroke education, anticoagulation treatments and rehabilitation assessments.
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