Hillcrest Medical Center received the American Heart Association’s GoldPlus Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke quality achievement award. This award is for Hillcrest’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines.
Andre Fredieu, M.D. is medical director of the Oklahoma Stroke and Neurological Institute at Hillcrest Medical Center. He says this award is a culmination of many years of work.
“We’ve been at the very top of accreditation for our comprehensive stroke program for years,” said Dr. Fredieu. “It’s a matter of us fine-tuning our process so that we can provide the best possible care to our patient population.”
GoldPlus is an advanced level of recognition acknowledging hospitals for consistent compliance with these guidelines. This leads to more lives being saved and reduced disability. Jennifer Stevens, stroke coordinator at Hillcrest Medical Center, says there are several metric goals that the hospital must meet to receive this award.
“This is a reflection that we’re providing the expected care for these patients,” said Stevens. “We have to make sure that the patient is safe to swallow, safe to ambulate and that we’re not causing any secondary issues.”
“When patients arrive at our facilities, they know that they’re going to get the highest level of care,” said Dr. Fredieu. “They know they’ll be cared for; they know there is going to be compassion and evidence-based medicine. I hope that anyone with stroke symptomatology makes their way to Hillcrest.”
Hillcrest Medical Center also reached Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite, where 85% of applicable patients experienced door-to-needle times of 60 minutes or less. This means most patients experiencing a stroke who come into the hospital are treated intravenously in less than an hour.
“We take a great deal of pride in our designation, it’s a very detailed and elaborate team effort,” said Dr. Fredieu. “We have a fantastic CEO, program organizers and stroke coordinators. It’s a credit to the team that we have. We’re committed to providing the best care not only in Tulsa, but in Oklahoma and hopefully someday, the country.”
“It’s definitely a group effort, regardless of what level you are,” said Stevens. “This is a recognition of care from the emergency room all the way up through rehabilitation and patient discharge. It shows that we are collaborating as a whole team.”
Visit this link to learn more about the stroke and neurological services offered at Hillcrest.