IRVING, Texas, April 22 /PRNewswire/ -- A stroke prevention and improvement program called StrokeSense, sponsored by VHA Inc., the national health care cooperative, has been awarded the Gold Seal of Approval(TM) and has achieved Disease-Specific Care Certification from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
Reviewers from the Joint Commission evaluated VHA’s StrokeSense program, with nearly 30 participating hospitals nationwide, to assess its compliance with the Joint Commission’s national standards and performance measurement expectations for the management of chronic care illnesses.
“Receiving JCAHO’s Gold Seal of Approval and achieving Disease-Specific Care Certification for StrokeSense certainly demonstrate VHA’s commitment to both programmatic excellence and the effective use of clinical guidelines and performance measurement to improve clinical care,” said Stuart Baker, M.D., VHA executive vice president. “Through this certified program, our members across the country will further enhance the care and improve the outcomes of stroke patients.”
“Joint Commission Disease-Specific Care Certification assures consumers and purchasers that VHA’s StrokeSense program is committed to quality and safety excellence,” said Maureen Connors Potter, executive director, Disease- Specific Care Certification Program, Joint Commission. “It is the Gold Seal of Approval for health care quality and safety.”
JCAHO awards disease specific care certification based on an assessment of:
-- Compliance with consensus-based national standards -- Effective use of established clinical practice guidelines to manage and optimize care -- An organized approach to performance measurement and improvement activities.
The guidelines for the JCAHO disease specific certification received input from 25 health care organizations representing hospitals, health plans, and disease management organizations integrated delivery systems and primary health care providers.
About StrokeSense
StrokeSense is a comprehensive stroke prevention and improvement program based on scientific research that motivates consumers to take control of their health and be proactive in the management of risk factors and affective responses once stroke symptoms occur. The program builds an active partnership between consumers and health care providers to increase awareness about the prevalence and extent of stroke, and to improve outcomes through the identification and management of risk factors and early recognition and rapid response to symptoms of stroke.
About VHA
VHA Inc. is a national cooperative of leading not-for-profit health care organizations that work together to improve the health of the communities they serve. VHA leverages the collective strength of the membership to improve clinical, operational and financial performance. Through the VHA cooperative, members benefit from resources that assess critical needs and identify best practices to create customized solutions that lower costs and improve clinical quality. As a cooperative, VHA distributes income annually to members based on their participation. Based in Irving, Texas, with 18 offices across the U.S., VHA was named one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” by Fortune in January 2004, for the fifth year in a row.
About Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) is the nation’s oldest and largest health care accrediting body. For more than 50 years, JCAHO has developed state-of-the-art standards and evaluated the compliance of health care organizations to the standards. An independent, not-for-profit organization, the Joint Commission’s mission is “to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations.” Starting in 2002, the Joint Commission began offering Disease-Specific Care Certification (DSCC). DSCC evaluates excellence in providing disease-specific services.
Contact: Lisa O’Steen VHA Inc. losteen@vha.com 972/830-0275
Photo: Newscom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20011017/VHALOGOAP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.comVHA Inc.
CONTACT: Lisa O’Steen of VHA Inc., +1-972-830-0275, or losteen@vha.com
Web site: http://www.vha.com/
