Riverside Community Hospital Becomes First Hospital on West Coast to Achieve The Joint Commission Thrombectomy Capable Stroke Center Certification

Riverside Community Hospital (RCH) is proud to announce that it has earned Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center (TSC)certification from The Joint Commission, in collaboration with the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA), and is the first hospital on the West Coast and the second in the nation to  achieve this significant certification.

This certification signifies that the hospital meets rigorous standards for performing mechanical endovascular thrombectomy (EVT), a specialized surgical procedure used to remove a blood clot from the brain during an ischemic stroke.  To be eligible for the certification, the hospital was required to meet strict eligibility requirements that include performing EVT on a minimum of 15 patients in the past year, or 30 patients in the past two yearsby a highly qualified specialist, demonstrate the ability to perform these procedures around the clock, seven days a week, have available intensive care beds for acute ischemic stroke patients, and have stringent data collection methods to monitor quality.The hospital’s primary neurointerventionists—the physicians who routinely perform emergency mechanical thrombectomy—also must meet the highest standards of subspecialty training.

“The Joint Commission congratulates Riverside Community Hospitalon this significant achievement which makes it a preferred location for transporting patients with suspected ischemic stroke,” said David Baker, MD, MPH, FACP, Executive Vice President, Division of Health Care Quality Evaluation, The Joint Commission. “Multiple studies have proven EVT treatment to be effective in saving lives and lowering disability from stroke.”

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States, and there are two main types of stroke: ischemic (brain clots) and hemorrhagic (brain bleeding). Unfortunately, both of these conditions can be life threatening or life compromising.

If medical attention from a capable hospital is received in time, there can be a strong success rate of saving life and returning function to a victim. Roughly 85% of stroke victims suffer from ischemic clots where the capable specialist may have the chance to use highly specialized equipment to enter the brain through a catheter, retrieve the clot and restore blood flow to the brain – this procedure is called a thrombectomy. Nearly 15% of stroke victims are hemorrhagic where the same treating specialist can potentially use a different method to attempt to stop the brain bleeding through a procedure known as a coil embolization. Riverside Community Hospital offers both of these treatment options and is able to treat any type of stroke at a moment’s notice.

“This certification is amazing for ischemic stroke victims in the Riverside community and beyond,” said Neurointerventional Radiologist Charles Stout, MD. “It demonstrates Riverside Community Hospital is committed to patient quality and bringing advanced care capability to the community. We can even treat ischemic stroke out to 24 hours after the stroke event for the qualified patient, which allows us to have a very far geographic reach in receiving ischemic stroke patients and providing one of the highest treatment rates in California.”

In speaking to the advancement of care, Patrick Brilliant, President and CEO of Riverside Community Hospital added, “Riverside Community Hospital is not your ordinary community hospital. Through our commitment of investing in the latest technology, the community now has access to advanced services that can save and improve lives. The TSC certification recognizes that Riverside Community Hospital is a national leader in the treatment of ischemic strokes with more advanced capabilities. We could not be prouder of becoming the first hospital on the West Coast to earn The Joint Commission Thrombectomy Capable Stroke Center designation.”

For more information on Riverside Community Hospital,visit www.RiversideCommunityHospital.com.  For more information on the TSC certification program, visit www.jointcommission.org.

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About Riverside Community Hospital (RCH)

Riverside Community Hospital has been serving the Southern California community for over 110 years with a staff of over 2,000 employees, 600 physicians and over 200 specialties. Through their passion of providing the most comprehensive, quality healthcare and commitment in investing in the latest technologic advances in medicine, Riverside Community Hospital has been recognized as a Top Performing Hospital on Key Quality Measures for three consecutive years in a row by The Joint Commission and is rated as a five-star orthopedic program by Healthgrades.

RCH houses one of the largest Emergency Room and Trauma Centers in the Inland Empire at 50 treatment rooms.  RCH is the largest STEMI (heart attack) receiving center and is a fully accredited Chest Pain Center.  Specialty services include the HeartCare Institute, offering invasive and non-invasive cardiac procedures and TAVR, Center of Excellence for Surgical Weight Loss, the Transplant Program, the Cancer Center and a Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Riverside Community Hospital is also committed to training the next generation of physicians through its Graduate Medical Education program.