Mountainside Medical Center awarded thrombectomy-capable certification

GLEN RIDGE, NJ — Hackensack Meridian Mountainside Medical Center in Glen Ridge has earned thrombectomy-capable certification from The Joint Commission for the hospital’s stroke program.

The mission of The Joint Commission is to improve health care for the public “by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value.”

During a September onsite review at Mountainside Medical Center, a Joint Commission team evaluated compliance with related certification standards, including use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines to manage and provide optimal patient care, data collection on all stroke patients, and data use for improving the stroke program.

“Thrombectomy-capable certification–recognized health care organizations are committed to fostering continuous quality improvement in patient safety and quality of care,” said Mark Pelletier, chief operating officer of accreditation and certification operations for The Joint Commission. “We commend Mountainside Medical Center.”

In addition to updating necessary policies, conducting patient education, and completing physician and team member education, the hospital partnered with local emergency medical services for “Code Stroke” drills, an exercise that simulates a patient’s stroke journey from EMS response following a 9-1-1 call, to the hospital’s emergency department and the patient’s admission to the interventional catheterization lab for thrombectomy treatment. This drill is designed to educate, evaluate and improve the Code Stroke process.

“This certification is a result of the combined efforts of our physicians, team members and key leadership and their dedication to patient service,” Mountainside CEO Tim O’Brien said. “In addition to our primary stroke certification, we are proud to provide this life-saving procedure to our community and the outcomes that led to this designation from The Joint Commission.”

  Mountainside Medical Center