U. Stroke Center gains recognition

The University of Utah Hospital Stroke Center has been named a primary stroke center by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).

The certification — the first in the Intermountain West — recognizes that the U. stroke program follows national standards and guidelines shown to significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients. University Hospital joins a group of only 80 hospitals nationwide so designated.

The Stroke Center, which serves patients from Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada and Montana, has "brain attack" teams, inter-hospital emergency stroke consultation, telestroke technology that links rural physicians to face-to-face stroke consultation, community education and both national and international research.

JCAHO conducted a voluntary on-site visit and conducted a thorough review of the center's processes. The program also earned the commission's "Gold Seal of Approval" for health-care quality and a stroke disease-specific care certification.

Stroke is the No. 3 killer in the United States. Someone suffers a stroke every 45 seconds and someone dies of a stroke every 3.1 minutes.

JCAHO is an independent, not-for-profit organization that is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.