Jupiter Medical Center Receives Get With the Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award

JUPITER, FLA. (July 11, 2019) — Jupiter Medical Center has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines^®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. Representing the highest level of recognition, the Gold Plus designation is awarded to hospitals that demonstrate at least 85 percent compliance in each of the seven different Quality Measures, for 24 consecutive months or more.

Jupiter Medical Center earned the Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award by meeting all seven quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients. 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 also receive education on managing their health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.

“Jupiter Medical Center is dedicated to improving the quality of care for our stroke patients by implementing the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke initiative,” said Joanne Miller, interim co-CEO of Jupiter Medical Center. “The tools and resources provided help us track and measure our success in meeting evidenced-based clinical guidelines developed to improve patient outcomes.”

In January of this year, Jupiter Medical Center earned designation as a comprehensive stroke center, giving stroke patients in northern Palm Beach County and Martin County access to lifesaving interventions much closer to home. Awarded by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), the comprehensive stroke center designation ensures that Jupiter Medical Center has developed system-wide initiatives on stroke prevention, rehabilitation, education, community awareness and research.

A $5 million gift from an anonymous donor enabled Jupiter Medical Center to fast-track the launch of its comprehensive stroke center, which requires the most advanced technology and physicians specially trained to treat the most complex stroke cases. Neurointerventional biplane angiography technology, which allows for a 3D look at the deepest areas of the brain, is essential for comprehensive stroke designation. The biplane includes functional imaging technology which exceeds the capability of scans such as MRIs and CTs at diagnosing disease. In addition to precise diagnosis, the technology enables minimally invasive endovascular procedures, which can quickly remove blood clots or repair ruptured blood vessels in the brain.

“We are pleased to recognize Jupiter Medical Center for their commitment to stroke care,” said Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., national chairperson of the Quality Oversight Committee and Executive Vice Chair of Neurology, Director of Acute Stroke Services, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. “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/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.

To learn more about stroke care at Jupiter Medical Center, visit www.jupitermed.com/stroke.

About Jupiter Medical Center

An independent not-for-profit 327-bed regional medical center, Jupiter Medical Center is the first and only hospital in Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, Dade and Broward counties to receive a five-star rating for patient safety and quality of care—the highest ranking awarded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The ranking places the hospital in the top 7 percent of the nation’s hospitals. In addition, the Leapfrog Group, a national health care watchdog organization, recognized Jupiter Medical Center as a Top Hospital and awarded the hospital an ‘A’ in overall patient safety and quality care. World-class physicians, strategic partnerships, and innovative techniques and technology enable Jupiter Medical Center to provide a broad range of services with specialty concentrations in neurosciences and stroke care; cardiac and vascular care; oncology; women’s and children’s services; orthopedics and spine care; urgent care; and other key areas. Founded in 1979, Jupiter Medical Center has approximately 1,689 team members, 650 physicians, 593 nurses and 640 volunteers. For more information on Jupiter Medical Center, please call 561-263-2200 or visit www.jupitermed.com.