Advocate Condell Medical Center received Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award

Libertyville - Advocate Condell Medical Center has received the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes the hospital's commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized research-based guidelines.

Advocate Condell earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. Before discharge, patients should also receive education on managing their health; get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.

"We are thrilled to have earned yet another national distinction for outstanding quality care provided at Advocate Condell Medical Center," said Mike Ploszek, President of Advocate Condell. "We are dedicated to providing the very best stroke care in Lake County and will continue to strive to advance our capabilities for all the communities we serve."

Eric E. Smith, M.D., national chairman of the Get With The Guidelines Steering Committee and an associate professor of neurology at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada says. "We are pleased to recognize Advocate Condell Medical Center for their commitment to stroke care. Research has shown that hospitals adhering to clinical measures through the Get With The Guidelines quality improvement initiative can often see fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates."

According to the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.