Pali Momi Medical Center and Straub Clinic & Hospital, two hospitals within Hawaii Pacific Health’s not-for-profit health care network, have earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s (AHA/ASA) Heart-Check mark for Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers. The Gold Seal of Approval® and the Heart-Check mark represent symbols of quality from their respective organizations.
Pali Momi and Straub underwent rigorous onsite reviews by Joint Commission experts who evaluated each hospital’s compliance with stroke-related standards and requirements, including program management, the delivery of clinical care and performance improvement.
“We are honored to be certified as a Primary Stroke Center and to be acknowledged for the quality, coordinated care we provide patients in the event of a stroke emergency,” said Pali Momi CEO Jen H. Chahanovich. “Time is a crucial factor in treating a stroke and ensuring a successful outcome, so we are especially proud that we can provide access to nationally-recognized stroke care close to home for the residents of Central and West Oahu.”
“Straub Clinic & Hospital is well-known for consistently providing specialized care and access to new technologies and innovative medical practices to the community,” said Straub CEO Art Gladstone. “We are pleased to receive advanced certification from The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association and to be recognized for the exceptional stroke care we provide to our patients.”
The Primary Stroke Center certification recognizes centers that follow the best practices for stroke care. Certified primary stroke centers:
- Use a standardized method of delivering care.
- Support patient self-management activities.
- Tailor treatment and intervention to individual needs.
- Promote the flow of patient information across settings and providers, while protecting patient rights, security and privacy.
- Analyze and use standardized performance measure data to continually improve treatment plans.
- Demonstrate their application of and compliance with clinical practice guidelines published by the AHA/ASA or equivalent evidence-based guidelines.
“Pali Momi Medical Center and Straub Clinic & Hospital have thoroughly demonstrated the greatest level of commitment to the care of stroke patients through its Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers,” said Michele Sacco, MS, interim executive director of Certification Programs for The Joint Commission. “We commend Pali Momi and Straub for becoming leaders in stroke care, potentially providing a higher standard of service for stroke patients in the community.”
“We congratulate Pali Momi Medical Center and Straub Clinic & Hospital for achieving this designation,” said Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. “By adhering to this very specific set of treatment guidelines, Pali Momi and Straub have clearly made it a priority to deliver high quality care to all patients affected by stroke.”
Established in 2003, Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers is awarded for a two-year period to Joint Commission-accredited acute care hospitals. The certification was derived from the Brain Attack Coalition’s “Recommendations for the Establishment of Primary Stroke Centers” (JAMA, 2000) and the “Revised and Updated Recommendations for the Establishment of Primary Stroke Centers” (Stroke, 2011).
Stroke is the number five cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States, according to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds; someone dies of a stroke every four minutes; and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.
About The Joint Commission
Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 20,500 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including hospitals and health care organizations that provide ambulatory and office-based surgery, behavioral health, home care, and laboratory and nursing home services. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. The Joint Commission has two nonprofit affiliate organizations: The Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare aims to solve health care’s most critical safety and quality problems and Joint Commission Resources (JCR) provides consulting services, educational services and publications. Joint Commission International, a division of JCR, accredits and certifies international health care organizations. Learn more about The Joint Commission at jointcommission.org.
About the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association
The American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association are devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – America’s No. 1 and No. 5 killers. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based American Heart Association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. The American Stroke Association is a division of the American Heart Association. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org or call the American Heart Association’s Honolulu office at 808-377-6630. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
The familiar Heart-Check mark now helps consumers evaluate their choices in hospital care. Each mark given to a hospital is earned by meeting specific standards for the care of patients with heart disease and/or stroke. The Heart-Check mark can only be displayed by hospitals that have achieved and defined requirements set by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.
About Hawaii Pacific Health
Hawaii Pacific Health is a not-for-profit health care network of hospitals, clinics, physicians and other caregivers serving Hawaii and the Pacific Region with high quality, compassionate care. It is anchored by four hospitals—Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children, Pali Momi Medical Center, Straub Clinic & Hospital, and Wilcox Memorial Hospital—with innovative initiatives in women’s health, pediatric care, cardiovascular services, cancer care, and bone and joint services. Hawaii Pacific Health is recognized nationally for its excellence in health information technology, specifically the use of electronic health records to improve quality of care and patient safety. Learn more at hawaiipacifichealth.org.