Emplify Health by Gundersen Boscobel Hospital earns prestigious statewide stroke care recognition

In stroke care, “time is brain,” and every minute saved can significantly impact a patient’s recovery and long-term health outcomes. Locally, Emplify Health by Gundersen Boscobel Hospital remains committed to educating the community on the signs of stoke (BE FAST – Balance, Eyes, Face, Arm, Speech, Terrible Headache) and providing the most effective stroke care. 

In 2022, Emplify Health by Gundersen Boscobel Hospital was recognized by the Wisconsin Department of Health Service’s Coverdell Stroke Program for becoming a Coverdell Stroke Champion. As a Coverdell Stroke Champion, the organization built upon existing stroke care efforts and began taking steps to implement stroke quality improvement, improve transitions of care in partnership with local emergency medical services and enhance data collection. 

Each quarter, the Wisconsin Coverdell Stroke Program issues report cards to participating hospitals, evaluating stroke care metrics against statewide averages. These metrics include critical areas such as:

• Documentation of the NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS), assessing stroke severity
• Timely administration of thrombolytics to eligible patients within the crucial 4.5-hour window after the onset of symptoms
• Door-to-needle time performance, measuring how quickly patients receive thrombolytic treatment upon arrival to the Emergency Department — with key benchmarks at 60 minutes and 45 minutes

At this year’s statewide awards ceremony, Emplify Health by Gundersen Boscobel Hospital and fellow affiliate Emplify Health by Gundersen Friendship Hospital were honored with the highest percentage of defect-free care in the small-to-medium hospital category (≤110 beds) for 2024 for delivering defect-free stroke care, according to the CDC’s 13 consensus Coverdell measures. In addition, Friendship was recognized with the Door-to-Needle (DTN) Award. The DTN Award is given to small-medium and large hospitals with the fastest median time from hospital arrival to initiation of IV thrombolytics for ischemic stroke patients.

“These awards reflect the skill, speed and dedication of our emergency and clinical care teams,” said Wendi Stitzer, manager of Acute Care. “Our community can feel confident knowing that our local hospital consistently meets and exceeds state and national standards for lifesaving stroke care.”

This achievement underscores Emplify Health by Gundersen’s ongoing commitment to excellence in patient care and ensuring the best possible outcomes for stroke patients across the region.

About the Wisconsin Coverdell Stroke Program

In 2001, Congress directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to implement state-based registries that measure, track and improve the delivery and quality of stroke care.  The registry was named the Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Registry (PCNASR) after the late U.S. Senator who suffered a fatal stroke in 2000 while serving in Congress. 

In 2012, the Wisconsin Department of Health services (DHS) became one of 11 states funded to participate in Coverdell Stroke Program. Wisconsin was fortunate to receive continued funding in 2015 and again in 2021 for an additional three-year period. The focus of this funding is to support the implementation of comprehensive stroke systems for individuals at highest risk for stroke events and to improve the quality of care for stroke patients across the continuum of care. DHS directs the grant with quality improvement and educational expertise from its partners, MetaStar and the American Heart/Stroke Association. For more information, visit https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/coverdell.