Elkin, NC – January 12, 2023 – Hugh Chatham Health Medical Center has been named one of America’s Best Hospitals for Stroke Care by the Women’s Choice Award®, America’s trusted referral source for the best in healthcare. The award signifies that Hugh Chatham Health is in the top 8% of 4,729 U.S. hospitals offering stroke care services.
According to the American Stroke Association, one in five women in the United States will have a stroke in her lifetime. Nearly 60% of stroke deaths, a “brain attack,” are in women, and studies show that women are more likely to be misdiagnosed for stroke even with the same symptoms present as men.
“Timely diagnosis and effective care are critical to preventing disability and improving chances of recovery from stroke. The time to identify your community’s leading hospital for stroke care is right now, not in the middle of a medical emergency when every minute is precious,” said Delia Passi, founder and CEO of the Women’s Choice Award. “We congratulate these hospitals and their dedication to education, prevention, and early intervention to reduce the devastating effects of stroke.”
The Best Hospitals for Stroke Care are hospitals that hold a Stroke Center Certification, recognizing centers that meet high standards for stroke care as determined by the Joint Commission (JC) and/or Det Norske Veritas (DNV). Credit is given for certifications on a scale based on the degree of care available to the stroke patient.
It is the only award recognizing excellence in stroke care based on robust criteria that consider patient satisfaction and clinical excellence. The methodology used to select Hugh Chatham Health as one of the Best Hospitals for Stroke Care is unique in that it evaluates Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) patient survey results along with primary research about women’s healthcare preferences.
Hospitals that meet the stroke center certification requirement, must then meet or exceed the following performance measures from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS): Hospitals must also score in the top 80% of all hospitals in the percent of patients receiving Head CT scan results within 45 minutes, and cannot have received a rating of Worse than the National Rate for the Deaths from Serious Treatable Complications measure.
“Getting top care within the first three hours of a stroke is critical to preventing disability and improving chances of recovery” says Passi. “Our award educates women about where they—and their loved ones—have the best chance to return to a full life following a stroke.”
Hugh Chatham Health is one of 360 award recipients representing the hospitals that have met the highest standards for stroke care in the U.S. by the Women’s Choice Award.
Paul Hammes, CEO of Hugh Chatham Health said “Here at Hugh Chatham Health we have a passion to provide each patient with the highest quality, safest care possible. We are pleased to receive another Women’s Choice Award for Stroke Care — affirmation of the expertise, teamwork, and dedication to patients among our physicians, clinical staff, and support team members.”
For the full list of Best Hospitals for Stroke Care, please visit https://womenschoiceaward.com/best-stroke-centers
Hugh Chatham Heatlh (www.hughchatham.org) is an independent, not-for-profit community health care network of physician clinics and an 81-bed acute care hospital that delivers high quality, convenient healthcare to residents of the Yadkin Valley region of North Carolina and southwestern Virginia. Employing more than 900 team members, Hugh Chatham Health includes a medical group with more than 70 providers across 29 locations and six counties. Headquartered in Elkin, North Carolina, Hugh Chatham has been nationally recognized for patient satisfaction, patient safety, and clinical quality.
