AtlantiCare Harmony Pavilion, Atlantic City.
ATLANTIC CITY – AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center Atlantic City Campus, home of AtlantiCare’s Neurosciences Institute, has once again earned the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification. This is the third time since 2017 that the campus has earned certification, which is awarded for two years.
“Earning this recognition is a testament to our team’s dedication to saving lives by providing the most advanced, 24/7 care to diagnose and treat the most complex strokes,” Neurosciences Institute Medical Director Dr. Edward Hamaty said. “It also recognizes our commitment to improving the quality of life for patients in our community by lowering the risk of stroke—and equally important, by preventing them altogether. We exceed the national average in many of the quality metrics of this certification and of American Heart Association recommendations.”
“The certification acknowledges the extensive expertise of our Acute Stroke Team and our clinical colleagues who collaborate with them,” endovascular surgeon and co-medical director of AtlantiCare’s Stroke Program David Stidd said. “Dedicated to excellence and providing comprehensive care, our team is there every step of the way with stroke patients – from the scene of the stroke to well beyond their discharge from the hospital.”
The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval is a symbol of quality that reflects a healthcare organization’s commitment to providing safe and quality patient care. In recognizing healthcare organizations that provide clinical programs across the continuum of care for stroke, it evaluates the ways organizations use clinical outcomes and performance measures to identify opportunities to improve care, as well as to educate and prepare patients and their caregivers for discharge from the hospital.
The Joint Commission reviewers evaluated the ARMC City Campus team’s compliance with certification standards that hospitals must meet to be eligible for Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification. These standards include meeting all of the requirements of a Primary Stroke Center, as well as other requirements including, but not limited to, the following:
- Has a dedicated neurointensive care unit to care for complex stroke patients 24/7
- Neurointerventionists, neuroradiologists, neurosurgeons, and neurologists are available 24/7
- Ability to meet the needs of multiple stroke patients at the same time
- Has advanced diagnostic testing capability
- Ability to provide specialized treatments 24/7—including cerebral angiogram, carotid endarterectomy, and carotid stenting
- Participates in patient-centered research
- Sponsors at least two public education events annually
- Holds two or more educational courses for its staff and staff of referring hospitals annually
AtlantiCare’s Atlantic City and Mainland campuses underwent rigorous unannounced onsite review in May, resulting in the recertification as Comprehensive and Primary Stroke centers respectively. ARMC Mainland Campus earned recertification as a Primary Stroke Center, maintaining the designation it has held since 2008.
For more information about AtlantiCare’s Comprehensive and Primary Stroke centers, visit AtlantiCare’s website or call the AtlantiCare Access Center at 1-888-569-1000. For additional information, visit The Joint Commission’s website.
