Improving Stroke Measure Compliance and Outcomes Through Hospital Collaboration

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Stroke Care Management
• Health Services Research

Background:

• National stroke registries are recognized for enhancing patient care and outcomes.
• Stroke center certification in the US mandates adherence to specific performance measures.
• Existing stroke registries in the US include the voluntary American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines-Stroke and the federally funded Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Registry.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review national initiatives promoting interorganizational collaboration to improve stroke care delivery.
• To focus on interhospital collaboration within the United States for enhancing stroke performance measures critical for stroke center certification.
• To provide a framework for adapting collaborative models internationally and across diverse healthcare settings.

Main Methods:

• Review of national initiatives and literature on interorganizational collaboration in stroke care.
• Case study analysis of Kentucky's utilization of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Breakthrough Series model.
• Identification of key strategies for successful interhospital collaboration and quality improvement.

Main Results:

• Variable compliance with stroke care processes highlights the need for effective quality improvement initiatives.
• The effectiveness of interorganizational continuous quality improvement, particularly among competing institutions, remains ambiguous.
• No uniform governance model for successful interhospital collaboration has been identified.

Conclusions:

• Interorganizational collaboration, exemplified by Kentucky's experience, offers a potential model for improving stroke care performance measures.
• The Institute for Healthcare Improvement Breakthrough Series model provides adaptable strategies for novice stroke leaders in learning health systems.
• These collaborative approaches can be applied locally, regionally, and internationally to enhance stroke care delivery across various healthcare systems and funding structures.