All hospitals and emergency centers at Baptist Health earn stroke care certification from Joint Commission

For patients experiencing a stroke, every second counts – and timely access to expert care is critical to improving outcomes. All adult hospitals and emergency departments (EDs) in the Baptist Health system now have stroke certification from Joint Commission, the nation’s leading accrediting body for stroke care.

This recognition further establishes Baptist Health as the leader in delivering high-quality, evidence-based stroke treatments throughout Northeast Florida and South Georgia. For patients and communities across the region, this means greater access to a coordinated network of consistent, life-saving stroke care close to home.

Baptist Health’s two newest freestanding emergency departments in St. Augustine and Nassau Crossing recently earned certification for the first time, while the system’s hospitals and EDs successfully completed the detailed recertification process. Certification from Joint Commission demonstrates both an organization’s commitment to continually improving patient care as well as its compliance with rigorous standards and performance measures designed to promote patient safety, quality care and operational excellence. Performance measures evaluated include the volumes of various procedures performed, the quality and average speed of treatments and stroke education initiatives.

The “gold standard” of stroke certifications

Achieving Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for stroke care system-wide sets Baptist Health apart from other health systems in Northeast Florida. There is no other Comprehensive Stroke Center certified by the Joint Commission in the region besides Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville. The hospital first achieved the elite designation in 2017.

“The Joint Commission is widely considered to be the ‘gold standard’ of stroke certifications,” said neurosurgeon Ricardo Hanel, MD, PhD, co-medical director of Baptist Stroke & Cerebrovascular Center. “This system-wide recognition strengthens the region’s stroke care network and ensures more communities have trusted, expert care right in their own backyard.”

Joint Commission partners with the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association to develop a suite of comprehensive, evidence-based stroke certifications. Baptist Health hospitals and emergency departments have earned the following certifications from Joint Commission:

• Comprehensive Stroke Center: Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville
• Primary Stroke Center: Baptist Medical Center South, Baptist Medical Center Beaches and Baptist Medical Center Clay
• Acute Stroke Ready Hospital: Baptist Medical Center Nassau
• Acute Stroke Ready Freestanding Emergency Department: Baptist Emergency Center Town Center, Baptist Emergency Center North, Baptist Emergency Center Oakleaf, Baptist Emergency Center St. Augustine and Baptist Emergency Center Nassau Crossing.

Speed and experience

Baptist Health’s average treatment times for stroke patients exceed national benchmarks. At Baptist Health, the median “door-to-puncture” time – the interval from arrival at the hospital to the initiation of mechanical endovascular therapy to remove the clot in stroke patients – is 33.75 minutes compared with the national average of 36 minutes. The median “door-to-needle” time – the interval from arrival at the hospital to the time of intravenous thrombolytic therapy to dissolve the clot – is 30 minutes compared with a national average of 70 minutes. Faster treatment times restore blood flow to the brain more quickly, which can improve recovery. Baptist Health’s multidisciplinary teams of specialists also treat more stroke patients than any other health system in the region. The combination of speed and experience that comes with being a high-volume center means patients receive timely, life-saving care designed to optimize outcomes.

“Timely intervention during a stroke is critical, and access to advanced care close to home plays a key role in outcomes,” said neurointerventionalist Nima Amin Aghaebrahim, MD, system medical director for stroke for Baptist Health. “Baptist Health patients benefit from coordinated care provided by highly skilled cerebrovascular teams, including a stroke team and neuroendovascular team, that have extensive resources and experience, see high patient volumes and deliver high-quality treatments and strong outcomes.”

The cornerstone of Baptist Health’s stroke program is Baptist Stroke & Cerebrovascular Center, located at Baptist Jacksonville. It is the leading center in the region for advanced diagnostics and treatments of strokes, brain aneurysms and other cerebrovascular conditions. Its team of neuro-endovascular surgeons, neurosurgeons, neurologists, emergency physicians and nurses, radiologists, neurological nurses, and rehabilitation specialists provides patients with the full continuum of care, from rapid diagnosis and treatment to recovery and rehabilitation. The center’s reach extends to more than two dozen hospitals and satellite EDs via the Telestroke Program, which virtually connects physicians and health care professionals in the greater Jacksonville area and South Georgia with Baptist Health’s stroke experts. Accessible 24/7, the program promotes quicker diagnosis and treatment, reduces potential disability and saves lives.

For more information on Baptist Health’s stroke program and Baptist Stroke & Cerebrovascular Center, please visit: BaptistJax.com/Stroke.