Lafayette General Medical Center Named One of America’s Best Stroke Centers

Lafayette General Medical Center (LGMC) is a recipient of the Women’s Choice Award as one of America’s Best Stroke Centers. According to the American Heart Association (AHA) and American Stroke Association (ASA), stroke is the fifth-leading cause of death in the U.S. and the leading cause of adult disability. Every 40 seconds, someone suffers a stroke, resulting in more than 795,000 affected annually, and 137,000 deaths. According to the AHA, 1 in 3 women will die of heart disease or stroke.

“Louisiana has some of the highest stroke rates in the country. So, it is important for our hospital to be a leader in stroke care to improve community health,” says Patrick W. Gandy, Jr., CEO at LGMC. “We are proud that women can think of us with confidence when they need treatment for stroke, as this award reflects,” says Gandy.

Hospitals earning the 2015 America’s Best Stroke Centers Award must be accredited by the Joint Commission/American Heart Association Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification. “By adhering to this very specific set of treatment guidelines, LGMC has clearly made it a priority to deliver high quality care to all patients affected by stroke,” states, Nancy Brown, CEO AHA/ASA.

The Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification recognizes centers that meet high standards for stroke care as determined by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. To receive advanced certification, Stroke Centers must meet disease-specific requirements, clinically specific requirements and expectations including:

• Using a standardized method of delivering care
• Supporting patient self-management activities
• Tailoring treatment and intervention to individual needs
• Promoting the flow of patient information across settings and providers, while protecting patient rights, security and privacy
• Analyzing and using standardized performance measure data to continually improve treatment plans
• Demonstrating their application of and compliance with clinical practice guidelines published by the AHA/ASA or equivalent evidence-based guidelines

In addition, publicly available data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and patient recommendation ratings data were included when assessing each hospital’s clinical performance.

“We congratulate these hospitals and their dedication to education, prevention, and early intervention to reduce the devastating effects of stroke,” said Sharyn S. Lee, President of the Women’s Choice Award Healthcare Division.

The Women’s Choice Award seal is the only credential that integrates clinical excellence and consumer experience to provide women, the family’s “Chief Health Officers,” the ability to make the best health care decisions for their families. This credential signifies LGMC’s commitment and passion towards an extraordinary healthcare experience for women and all patients.