The Primary Stroke Center Certification Program uses the Recommendations for Primary Stroke Centers published by the Brain Attack Coalition and American Stroke Association statements for stroke. The program evaluates stroke care provided by hospitals. The evaluation and resulting certification decision will be based on an assessment of:

1. Compliance with consensus-based national standards.
2. Effective use of primary stroke center recommendations and clinical practice guidelines to manage and optimize care.
3. Performance measurement and improvement activities.

The Joint Commission awards certification for one year to primary stroke centers that successfully demonstrate compliance in all three areas. A one-year extension will be contingent on submitting an acceptable assessment of compliance with standards and performance measurement and management activities. Primary Stroke Centers will receive an on-site review every two years by the Joint Commission.

The American Stroke Association, in collaboration with a large multi-specialty advisory group and the Brain Attack Coalition, worked closely with the Joint Commission to establish the criteria for certification.

The American Stroke Association provides many important tools and resources to help hospitals become ready for certification by The Joint Commission.

• Acute Stroke Treatment Program (ASTP). This toolkit helps hospitals build the critical foundation/infrastructure for becoming a primary stroke center. The ASA leads workshops across the country to help hospitals come together to discuss infrastructure needs and how to overcome challenges in setting up a primary stroke center.
  
• Get With The Guidelines–Stroke is a continuous quality improvement program that helps hospitals begin collecting and analyzing their stroke data, and provides a continuous way for physicians and hospital staff to monitor their performance with guidelines.  

The American Stroke Association also provides numerous professional education opportunities (online CME, International Stroke Conference, etc.) to help stroke teams gain continuing education required for the Joint Commission certification.

See the list of Joint Commission certified Primary Stroke Centers

For more information about JCAHO Primary Stroke Center Certification, visit jointcommission.org

About The Joint Commission

The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits nearly 18,000 healthcare organizations and programs in the United States. An independent, not-for-profit organization, JCAHO is the nation's main standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Since 1951, JCAHO has developed state-of-the-art, professionally based standards and evaluated the compliance of healthcare organizations against these benchmarks.

The Joint Commission is governed by a 28-member Board of Commissioners that includes nurses, physicians, consumers, medical directors, administrators, providers, employers, labor representatives, health plan leaders, quality experts, ethicists, health insurance administrators and educators. The Joint Commission's corporate members are the American College of Physicians–American Society of Internal Medicine, the American College of Surgeons, the American Dental Association, the American Hospital Association and the American Medical Association. The Joint Commission employs more than 1,000 people in its surveyor force at its central office in Oakbrook Terrace (a suburb of Chicago) and at a satellite office in Washington, D.C.

On-site reviewers for the Joint Commission certification must have experience and understanding of stroke centers (e.g., neurology, neuroscience nursing). Because of the demand for this program, the Joint Commission is seeking experienced stroke professionals to join its team. If you're interested in becoming a Joint Commission reviewer, please visit jointcommission.org

This content is reviewed regularly. Last updated 08/26/09.