Inova Fairfax Hospital Receives Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification
Falls Church, VA – Inova Fairfax Hospital (IFH) is proud to announce it is now a Comprehensive Stroke Center (CSC) as certified by The Joint Commission in collaboration with the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. This is an elite designation for healthcare organizations focusing on highly specialized stroke care. Inova is one of only three percent of hospitals in the United States to receive this status.
In order to achieve this certification, IFH underwent a rigorous review by The Joint Commission to ensure its continued compliance with the Comprehensive Stroke Center standards and requirements. These include having advanced imaging capabilities, 24/7 availability of specialized treatments, and staff with the unique education and competencies, including rehabilitation to care for complex stroke patients.
“We are incredibly pleased to collaborate across the entire health system to provide excellent stroke care to our community,” said James Ecklund, MD, FACS, President, Inova Neurosciences. “This designation recognizes Inova’s ability to treat the most complex cases of stroke with an integrated care team, research, advanced technology and in partnership with our EMS teams.”
Comprehensive Stroke Centers are recognized as industry leaders and are responsible for setting the national agenda in highly-specialized stroke care. These hospitals have advanced infrastructure, staff and training to receive and treat patients with the most complex strokes.
“We are pleased Inova Fairfax Hospital has been recognized by The Joint Commission as a Comprehensive Stroke Center,” said Steve Narang, MD, MHCM, President, Inova Fairfax Medical Campus. “We are always working to improve the quality and standard of care, and this certification further demonstrates our ongoing focus on quality improvement, performance measures and safety standards to help save lives.”
Inova Fairfax Hospital has a dedicated 18-bed neuroscience intensive care unit, personnel trained in vascular neurology, neurosurgery and endovascular procedures, advanced technologies and 24/7 neurosurgery capability, including availability of personnel, imaging, operating rooms and facilities.
“Inova is committed to providing the highest quality care for our community,” says J. Stephen Jones, MD, President and CEO, Inova Health System, “We now offer all levels of stroke care across the system, and we are proud to receive this certification acknowledging our commitment and expertise in the care of patients with life-threatening strokes.”
In addition to this certification for IFH, Inova Alexandria Hospital is certified as a Thrombectomy Capable Center; all other Inova hospitals have achieved Primary Stroke Center certification; and Inova Loudoun ERs at Ashburn Healthplex and Leesburg, Virginia are designated as Acute Stroke Ready Hospitals.
During a stroke, whether hemorrhagic (bleeding from a blood vessel) or ischemic (blood vessel blockage), time matters. If you notice someone having signs or symptoms, please call 911 or go to your closest emergency department. We urge those who suspect a stroke to act quickly. Each patient success story is a testimony to their quick action, our EMS partners and the Inova stroke team’s commitment to excellence in stroke care.
The Comprehensive Stroke Center is part of Inova Neurosciences, which offers comprehensive care of any neurological condition inclusive of neurosurgery as well as neurological education and research. To learn more about Inova Stroke Care, click here. To learn more about Inova Neurosciences, click here. To review neuroscience-based clinical trials, click here, and/or to read the Inova Neuroscience Outcomes Report, click here.
The Joint Commission, an independent, not-for-profit organization, is the nation’s largest standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare. Certification is a voluntary process. Certification as a Comprehensive Stroke Center means that Inova has met The Joint Commission’s standards for Disease-Specific Care Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification, which focuses on complex stroke care. Established in 2012, Advanced Certification for Comprehensive Stroke Centers is awarded for a two-year period by The Joint Commission to accredited acute care hospitals.
Media Contact: Tracy Connell, tracy.connell@inova.org, 703-289-2087
About Inova
Inova is Northern Virginia’s leading nonprofit healthcare provider, recognized in 2019 and 2020 by U.S. News & World Report, which named Inova Fairfax Hospital the #1 hospital in the Washington, DC region. Each of Inova’s five hospitals holds a 5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), distinguishing Inova as the highest-rated large health system in the U.S., and the only system to have all hospitals receive five stars. All five Inova hospitals were awarded ‘A’ grades for the fall 2020 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades, recognizing Inova’s achievements in protecting patients from harm and providing safer healthcare. Inova Fairfax Medical Campus was named to the Fortune/IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals list, ranking in the top 10 nationwide among Major Teaching Hospitals. Our mission is to provide world-class healthcare – every time, every touch – to each person in every community we have the privilege to serve. Inova’s 18,000 team members serve more than 2 million individuals annually through an integrated network of hospitals, primary and specialty care practices, emergency and urgent care centers, outpatient services and destination institutes. Inova is home to Northern Virginia’s only Level 1 Trauma Center and Level 4 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Its hospitals have a total of 1,936 licensed beds. More information and statistics about Inova can be found at www.inova.org.