Fletcher Allen’s Multidisciplinary Stroke Center has received recognition from the American Stroke Association’s "Get with the Guidelines" program, a quality initiative that sets specific standards for the care of stroke patients.

Fletcher Allen was the only hospital in Vermont to participate in the "Get with the Guidelines" program, which requires hospitals to enter data on performance measures for the treatment of stroke patients. The following are just a few of the measures that set the standard for stroke care:

• Patients who arrive at the hospital within two hours of onset of stroke symptoms must receive tissue plasminogen activator (TPA), a potent thrombolytic drug, within three hours of onset of symptoms (unless contraindications exist).

• Patients must be considered for anti-thrombotic medication, like aspirin or coumadin, before discharge.

• Patients who are smokers must receive tobacco counseling as inpatients and are discharged with anti-smoking medications.

• Patients who have high cholesterol must be prescribed cholesterol-reducing medication before discharge.

Between July-September 2007, the Stroke Center documented its efforts to consistently implement these and several other guidelines. They followed the guidelines 85% of the time – a figure that earned the program "The Bronze Award" from the American Heart Association.

"We know that our patients benefit from the many levels of expertise our stroke program offers," said Christopher Commichau, M.D., a co-leader of the program. "The fact that we were able to surpass these guidelines – competing with hospitals across the country – is a testament to our ongoing efforts to provide the very best interdisciplinary care for stroke patients."

At Fletcher Allen, we feel it’s important to share information about the quality and safety of our services. We want you to be able to make informed decisions about your health care, and the care of your loved ones. Click here for a whole host of quality reports related to our stroke care.