ST. LOUIS, MO SSM Health DePaul Hospital – St. Louis has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® and the American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark for Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center Recertification.
SSM Health DePaul – St. Louis underwent a rigorous, onsite review on October 17, and October 18, 2024. During the visits, a Joint Commission reviewer evaluated compliance with related certification standards that included a program analyzation of how fast treatment is administered for strokes, time allotment transpired from emergency arrival to treatment, how robust the specialists are in providing care, the availability of services, assessments of quality of care, the attention to social determinants of health, equity efforts, and adherence to meticulous national standards. Joint Commission standards are developed in consultation with health care experts and providers, measurement experts, and patients. The reviewer also conducted onsite observations and interviews.
“Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification recognizes healthcare organizations committed to striving for excellence and fostering continuous improvement in patient safety and quality of care,” says Ken Grubbs, DNP, MBA, RN, executive vice president of Accreditation and Certification Operations and chief nursing officer, The Joint Commission. “We commend SSM Health DePaul Hospital – St. Louis for using The Joint Commission certification process to reduce variation in clinical processes and to strengthen its clinical program to drive safer, higher quality and more compassionate care for individuals served.”
“We congratulate SSM Health DePaul Hospital – St. Louis for this outstanding achievement,” says Nancy Brown, chief executive officer, the American Stroke Association. “This certification reflects its commitment to providing the highest quality of care for stroke patients.”
“This certification signifies our commitment to providing exceptional care to all, delivering the highest quality of care to our patients,” says Deborah Berini, MHA, president of SSM Health DePaul Hospital – St. Louis. “Having certification from The Joint Commission, a global driver of quality improvement and patient safety, demonstrates SSM Health DePaul Hospital’s diligence to ensuring exceptional health care services are provided to all of our patients.”
SSM Health DePaul Hospital’s Dr. Amer Al Shekhlee, medical director of the stroke program, and Nancy Jackson, stroke coordinator, led the surveyor presentation for the multidisciplinary team. The two health care professionals incorporated the American Stroke Association’s "Get With The Guidelines" standards as benchmarks for the surveyor’s review.
SSM Health DePaul Hospital is also designated as a Level I Stroke Center from the State of Missouri, their highest level of certification.
For more information, please visit The Joint Commission website.
About SSM Health:
Nationally recognized for quality and innovation, SSM Health is a Catholic, not-for-profit, fully integrated health system working to advance health equity and empower all people to achieve their full potential.
With care delivery sites in Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin, SSM Health provides convenient access to high-quality community-based services as well as world-class academic medicine, clinical trials, and research studies. The organization’s footprint includes hospitals, physician offices, outpatient and virtual care services, senior care, comprehensive home care and hospice services, a fully transparent pharmacy benefit company, a health insurance company, and an accountable care organization. As one of the largest employers in every community it serves, the organization’s 40,000 team members and 13,900+ providers are dedicated to fulfilling SSM Health’s Mission: “Through our exceptional health care services, we reveal the healing presence of God.” Like our founding sisters, we care deeply for our communities -- SSM Health reported $470 million in community benefit in 2023, including the provision of more than $346 million in uncompensated care. For more information, visit ssmhealth.com or find us on Facebook and LinkedIn.
