Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare, the nation’s largest health system with 190 hospitals, improved stroke cause identification by 33% through a pilot program at 10 of its stroke centers.
HCA launched the Getting to the Heart of Stroke initiative in collaboration with the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to improve stroke care, according to an Oct. 29 article from the American Medical Association.
The project assembled cardiologists, neurologists and emergency medicine physicians to implement the American Heart Association’s evidence-based standards and protocols on stroke care.
The pilot was particularly effective at identifying the root cause of each patient’s stroke, the AMA said. HCA Healthcare leaders attributed the pilot’s success to breaking down silos across departments and implementing comprehensive in-hospital diagnostic testing and cardiac monitoring.
HCA, which annually cares for more than 70,000 patients admitted for stroke, is expanding this pilot from 10 to all 43 of its comprehensive stroke centers.
