Providence Holy Family Hospital says it has been certified as a primary stroke center following an exhaustive evaluation of its four-year-old stroke-care program by The Joint Commission, the nation's largest health-care accrediting body.

"This is a huge undertaking," and a significant accomplishment for the North Side medical center, says Dr. C. William Britt, medical director of the stroke program there.

"The goal is to make the medical care for all of these patients appropriate, thorough, and efficient," Britt says. "Certification as a center of excellence for stroke care means that the staff is highly educated about stroke, and the process is organized so patient outcomes are better. It also makes the care consistent so patients don't fall through the cracks."

One of the performance measures of a primary stroke center is its ability to evaluate appropriate patients for treatment with tPA, a clot-busting drug used to stop the progress of a stroke, and to start infusion, if appropriate, within 60 minutes of the patient's arrival.

"We've been working toward a benchmark of 45 minutes, continuing to massage minutes out of our process," Britt says.

Tena Cramer, a registered nurse and director of neuroscience services for Holy Family, says, "When it comes to treating a patient with a stroke, time is critical. We have a multidisciplinary team that quickly comes together to assess and treat patients, ensuring the right treatment at the right time."

Radiology, emergency, neurology, laboratory, and pharmacy experts work together to provide the needed care for acute stroke patients.

"There are a lot of advantages" to being certified, Britt says. "Written protocols and education programs give you an easy means of promptly implementing advances in stroke care." He adds, "The benefits for the institution are that outcomes are better, and care is more efficient for the hospital to deliver."

Holy Family's sister hospital, Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center & Children's Hospital, was one of just six hospitals nationwide to achieve certification as a primary stroke center first in 2004.

Sacred Heart now is working toward the next level of certification—becoming what's called a comprehensive stroke center that's capable of handling the most severe stroke patients.

Last year, the two hospitals together saw more than 1,000 patients who had suffered some type of stroke.

The Joint Commission, a nonprofit organization, evaluates and accredits more than 18,000 health-care organizations and programs in the U.S., and provides certification of more than 1,000 disease-specific care programs, primary stroke centers, and health-care staffing services.