Michigan hospital first to receive Joint Commission certification for thrombectomy

Daniel Allar | | Cardiovascular Business | Vascular & Endovascular

St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac, Michigan, is the first hospital certified by the Joint Commission as a thrombectomy-capable stroke center (TSC), according to a March 21 press release.

The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) created the TSC certification to recognize hospitals adept in performing endovascular thrombectomy, a catheter-based procedure to remove a blood clot from the brain during an ischemic stroke. Timely treatment with thrombectomy has been proven to reduce disability and death caused by stroke.

To receive the certification, hospitals must have performed thrombectomy at least 15 times in the past year or 30 times over the past two years and demonstrate the ability to perform the operation around the clock. Also, its primary neurointerventionalists “must meet the highest standards of subspecialty training,” according to The Joint Commission’s announcement.

“With the recent advances in endovascular therapies for acute ischemic stroke, it’s important to recognize hospitals which can perform this critical intervention safely and effectively, and we commend St. Joseph Mercy Oakland on being the first to receive this designation,” said Edward C. Jauch, MD, chairman of the AHA/ASA’s hospital accreditation stroke subcommittee. “The new TSC certification is a critical piece of regional stroke systems of care, especially where Comprehensive Stroke Centers may be too far for patients with presumed large vessel occlusions to travel in a timely fashion.”

""
Daniel Allar

Daniel joined TriMed’s Chicago editorial team in 2017 as a Cardiovascular Business writer. He previously worked as a writer for daily newspapers in North Dakota and Indiana.

Related Content

New guidelines help interventional cardiologists manage chronic venous disease
Private equity firm jumps into vascular health with new investment
New report raises questions about data that helped heart drug gain FDA approval
Popular obesity drugs limit amputations, heart issues among patients with peripheral artery disease
Angiographic catheters recalled due to safety risk
FDA clears blood clot removal system for treating pulmonary embolism

Around the web

Health Exec
Major association of physicians presents itself as a go-to alternative vs. the government on vaccine expertise

One of the most formidable societies of medical professionals in the U.S. is going toe-to-toe with Robert F. Kennedy’s HHS over changing vaccination recommendations. 

Health Exec
Tom Price: Medical residency slots need to expand to combat physician shortages

Tom Price, MD, former secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), said one way to address the growing shortage of physicians is to expand medical resident positions, but these are tied to Medicare spending so alternative means may be needed.

Health Imaging
Tariffs will have a significant impact on the nuclear imaging supply chain in the US

"Domestic radiopharmaceutical suppliers, who receive isotopes from abroad, would be impacted by price changes and uncertainty caused by additional tariffs,” SNMMI President Cathy Cutler, PhD, wrote in a letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce this week.