The University of Michigan (U-M) Health System has earned the official certification of Comprehensive Stroke Center granted by the Joint Commission accrediting organization and recognized by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. According to a UM Health System news release, the new designation means the hospital has highly trained hospital teams and technologies ready each day of the year, and the staff is trained and prepared to provide the best treatment options for each patient. Only 70 other hospitals in the United States have achieved this status.

The ability to provide the best treatment options includes being able to rapidly diagnose what is causing each patient’s stroke symptoms and deliver time-critical treatments and procedures to dissolve or remove blood clots in the brain or repair the source of bleeding in the brain. The UM Health System news release also indicates that the hospital has a surgical room where a CT scan of the head can be performed in the same room where doctors can remove clots from vessels or repair brain aneurysms, which improves care and safety.

The UM Health System news release notes that the certification also means the hospital staff deliver advanced care beyond the crucial first hours after a stroke occurs, including inpatient care within University Hospital and the Frankel Cardiovascular Center, individualized rehabilitation and outpatient care once stroke survivors have left the hospital, and top care for patients at high risk of a stroke. The U-M program includes doctors, nurses, therapists, and other staff that strive to provide seamless care.

Mark R. Chassin, MD, FACP, MPP, MPH, president and CEO of The Joint Commission, says, “By achieving this advanced certification, U-M’s Comprehensive Stroke Program has thoroughly demonstrated the greatest level of commitment to the care of its patients with a complex stroke condition.”

Source: University of Michigan Health System