Mercy Fort Smith Earns Stroke Award from AHA

Mercy Fort Smith’s stroke care team has earned recognition for its performance in the Get With The Guidelines – Stroke program from the American Heart Association.

The AHA is recognizing Mercy nationally for the Gold Plus, Target Stroke Elite Honor Roll and Target Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll awards. The recognition is based on 2021 calendar year data submitted.

"Millions of brain cells or neurons die every minute when a patient is suffering from a stroke, hence the adage 'Time is brain,’" said Dr. Sujan Reddy, neurologist with Mercy Fort Smith. “Timely stroke treatment significantly improves patient outcomes. Rigorous efforts go into process development and optimization to ensure patients receive time-sensitive treatments for this otherwise disabling disease.” 

Hospitals earn GOLD PLUS recognition from the AHA by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients for a minimum of two consecutive years. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments, in addition to using the evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. 

“Stroke center certification provides a framework to improve quality patient care and ensures hospitals meet these benchmarks and standards to establish a consistent approach to care," Dr. Reddy continued.

According to the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the U.S. Nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.

Learn more about stroke certifications with the additional suite of AHA quality programs available, as well as the many ways stroke, cardiac and heart failure certification can impact Mercy and the community.

As in prior years, AHA will celebrate all award-winning hospitals nationally: 

·  Recognized hospitals will be included in an advertisement in US News and World Report “Best Hospitals” print and digital editions.

·  Recognition at the AHA national conferences including the International Stroke Conference & Scientific Sessions.

·  The AHA website will include a listing of award winning hospitals and EMS providers at www.heart.org/quality.