Avera McKennan Certified As Comprehensive Stroke Center

Avera McKennan Hospital & University Center has received certification as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, reflecting the highest level of competence for treatment of serious stroke events.

Through certification awarded by DNV GL Healthcare, Avera McKennan is the only Comprehensive Stroke Center in South Dakota and the wider region and one of only 306 Comprehensive Stroke Centers in the United States.

The DNV Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification is based on standards set forth by the Brain Attack Coalition and the American Stroke Association, and affirms that Avera McKennan addresses the full spectrum of stroke care — diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and education — and establishes clear metrics to evaluate outcomes.

A Comprehensive Stroke Center is a facility that has the personnel, infrastructure and expertise to diagnose and treat stroke patients who require intensive medical and surgical care, specialized tests or interventional therapies. A Comprehensive Stroke Center delivers the highest quality of care to the most complex cases.

This is a three-year certification and DNV will perform an annual survey of Avera McKennan stroke services in order to maintain certification.

“Avera McKennan’s stroke protocols offer evidence-based approaches across the entire timeline of stroke diagnosis and treatment,” said Ronald Place, MD, Avera McKennan Regional President and CEO. “This elite certification reflects the extensive training and collaboration of Avera’s multidisciplinary team in performing exceptional care for patients suffering a stroke.”

In the case of stroke symptoms, the first step is often arrival in the Emergency Department when timely CT imaging takes place to diagnose what type of stroke happened in the brain and where. Those crucial images then direct timely treatment for lesser long-term effects to the brain.

Treatment may involve drug therapy such as tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) known as clot busters, or tenecteplase.

If indicated, Avera offers interventional neuro-endovascular procedures that allow for a minimally invasive approach to neurovascular conditions including stroke. Via microcatheters, tiny equipment is navigated through blood vessels via an incision in the wrist or groin. At the site of the stroke, instruments are used to open an occluded critical vessel, repair an abnormality or retrieve the clot.

Avera offers a specialized neuro unit for stroke recovery as well as inpatient rehabilitation where a wide range of therapies are used to restore mobility, balance and cognitive function. Avera McKennan opened its state-of-the-art rehab unit on the fifth floor of the Prairie Center in 2018.

“This certification means that patients who experience an acute stroke or an acute vascular neurologic event, as well as their loved ones, can have the confidence that Avera McKennan is providing the region with the top level of sophistication and care for all forms of acute stroke management,” said William Rossing, MD, Avera Medical Group neurologist and stroke specialist.

Comprehensive Stroke Centers are typically among largest and best-equipped hospitals within a given geographical area that can treat any kind of stroke or stroke complication. In a growing number of states, stroke center certification determines to which facility a patient should be taken for the most appropriate care.

“Achieving certification shows commitment to excellence,” says Kelly Proctor, President of DNV Healthcare USA Inc. “And it helps demonstrate to your community that you are performing at the highest level.”