Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital Recognized for Quality Stroke Care

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association presented Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital with the 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 based on the latest scientific evidence.

Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital 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.

Additionally, Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital received the Association’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll Award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures focused on improving acute ischemic stroke care by reducing door-to-needle times for eligible patients being treated with tPA, an intravenous medicine given for ischemic stroke.

The hospital also received the Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll Award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed with more than 90% of compliance for 12 consecutive months for the “Overall Diabetes Cardiovascular Initiative Composite Score.”

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.

Guthrie is a non-profit integrated health system located in north central Pennsylvania and upstate New York, serving patients from a twelve-county service area. Guthrie is comprised of a research institute, home care/hospice, hospitals in Sayre, Pa., Corning, N.Y., Towanda, Pa., Troy, Pa. and Cortland, N.Y., as well as a multi-specialty group practice of nearly 700 providers offering 47 specialties through a regional office network providing primary and specialty care in 22 communities in Pennsylvania and New York. Guthrie is dedicated to training the next generation of health care leaders, offering seven residencies, three fellowships, and serving as a regional campus for the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. Guthrie provides a wide range of services and programs to enhance the health and well-being of those it serves.