National stroke care honors for Kaiser Permanente

The American Heart Association is recognizing 20 Kaiser Permanente Northern California hospitals with an award for delivering high-quality stroke care, using practices that speed recovery and reduce death and disability for stroke patients.

These Kaiser Permanente Northern California hospitals received the Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award and the Target Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus Award: Antioch, Fremont, Fresno, Modesto, Oakland, Redwood City, Richmond, Roseville, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, San Leandro, San Rafael, Santa Clara, Santa Rosa, South Sacramento, South San Francisco, Vacaville, Vallejo, and Walnut Creek.

“Our Kaiser Permanente clinicians and staff work together to deliver excellent patient-care outcomes with a focus on prevention and use evidence-based treatment protocols to get the right care to our stroke patients as quickly as possible,” said Carrie Owen Plietz, FACHE, president of Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California region. “We are proud to be recognized for our commitment to providing high-quality care to our stroke patients so we can give them the best chance at a full recovery.”

To qualify for this award, the hospitals had to meet specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period of time.

These measures include evaluation of the proper usage of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines to speed recovery and reduce death and disability for stroke patients. Before discharge, stroke patients also needed to receive education on managing their health and schedule a follow-up visit, as well as other care transition interventions.

“This recognition is a testament to the commitment of our physicians and clinicians, who continue to be at the forefront of delivering innovative care and highly-effective treatments to our stroke patients,” said Richard S. Isaacs, MD, FACS, chief executive officer and executive director of The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG).

Ken Dito, 85, of Daly City says he experienced exceptional care at Kaiser Permanente Redwood City Medical Center after suffering a stroke earlier this year. Dito, a Bay Area radio sportscaster, said the quick action from his care team saved his life.

Dito passed out while playing golf and was taken by ambulance to Kaiser Permanente’s South San Francisco Medical Center where a specialized team used the Stroke EXPRESS treatment protocol to quickly diagnose Dito before transferring him to Kaiser Permanente Redwood City, which is an accredited Comprehensive Stroke Center.

Once there, Sean Cullen, MD, a neurointerventional radiologist at Kaiser Permanente Redwood City, worked with a team to surgically remove two clots and restore blood flow to Dito’s brain within 14 minutes. Less than an hour after the surgery, Dito was awake, oriented and speaking normally.

“The speed and precision of the staff at Kaiser Permanente rates an A+ in my eyes,” Dito said.