HCA Midwest Health
March 23, 2015

Minutes matter for stroke victims requiring critical treatment within a specific time frame—from the moment their symptoms begin—to increase the likelihood of recovery and decrease the possibility of permanent disability. According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, currently, only a small percentage of stroke patients in Missouri get help within the recommended amount of time, oftentimes because they don’t recognize the signs and symptoms of stroke.  HCA Midwest Health—Kansas City’s leading healthcare provider and one of the region’s leaders in stroke care—is pleased to announce that four of the hospitals with the HCA Midwest Health Network are among the first in the state to receive the Missouri Time Critical Diagnosis (TCD) Designation. 
 
Missouri’s new statewide emergency medical care response system is designed to help provide a quicker response and higher quality care when a time-critical emergency occurs. The TCD System brings together the 9-1-1 response system, ambulance services, and hospitals in a more integrated and coordinated approach. The goal is to help a greater number of people get to the care they need in order to enhance survival rates and increase a patient’s chance of recovering from trauma, stroke and heart attack.
 
Research Medical Center, Centerpoint Medical Center, Lee’s Summit Medical Center and Belton Regional Medical Center have specifically-trained staff available 24 hours a day to treat time-sensitive medical emergencies such as stroke. The TCD Designation recognizes the hospitals’ interdisciplinary Stroke Teams who possess the skills and tools needed to limit damage from a stroke—laboratory tests, blood pressure checks, possible CAT scan and MRI tests, immediate consultation with a Board-Certified physician, and the use of clot-busting drugs such as t-PA. The Stroke Teams, comprised of stroke and Board-Certified emergency room physicians, nurses and support services such as lab, radiology and pharmacy, are dedicated to improving patient outcomes. 
 
“The TCD Designation is testament to the talent, passion, and dedication of HCA Midwest Health’s Stroke Teams,” says M.L. Lagarde III, President, HCA Midwest Health.  “HCA Midwest Health is proud to deliver world-class technology and neurological resources right at the patient’s bedside within minutes to save lives and preserve brain function. As one of the region’s leaders in stroke care and with an entire stroke network, patients can trust HCA Midwest Health for quality, coordinated life-saving stroke care.”
 
The TCD System implements four levels of hospital designation across the state, reflecting a range of hospital-based functions within the emergency medical care system. Each hospital plays a vital part in the TCD system, providing timely, definitive care for the best outcomes for survival and recovery.
 
Research Medical Center Level I Center Designation. The highest level awarded, the hospital functions as a primary resource center within the region, maintaining specialized resources for the most complex patients.  In addition, Research Medical Center was recently named a Get With The Guidelines® Target Stroke Elite hospital. Research Medical Center is the only hospital in the region to hold ELITE status, which means patients get t-PA, the clot-busting drug, within 60 minutes more than 75 percent of the time.  Research Medical Center is an Accredited Stroke Center.
 
Centerpoint Medical Center and Lee’s Summit Medical Center Level II Center Designations, which means the hospitals provide definitive care to high volumes of trauma, stroke, and STEMI patients within the region. In addition, the hospitals have received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes the hospital's commitment and success in implementing excellent care for stroke patients, according to evidence-based guidelines.
 
Belton Regional Medical Center Level III Center Designation, which means the hospital plays a vital role in providing access into the TCD System and important patient care in non-metropolitan areas, and generally refers to a higher-level center for definitive care.  Belton Regional Medical Center has recently joined the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®–Stroke (GWTG-Stroke).
 
Overland Park Regional Medical Center and Menorah Medical Center in Johnson County, Kansas, also serve as Primary Stroke Centers and are dedicated to advanced care for stroke patients. Both hospitals have achieved the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. For more information about HCA Midwest Health, its family of hospitals in the Kansas City region, and its award-winning stroke care programs, visit hcamidwest.com.