TL/DR –
HCA Healthcare and the HCA Healthcare Foundation are partnering with the American Heart Association (AHA) to improve stroke care. They launched the Getting to the Heart of Stroke initiative, aimed at patient and community awareness, improved collaboration between care teams, and better identification of the causes of strokes. The pilot program, started at 10 centers, resulted in a 33% improvement in identifying the cause of stroke and is now being expanded to all 43 of HCA Healthcare’s comprehensive stroke centers.
Stroke Outcomes Improve with United Care Teams
Heart disease and stroke are leading causes of death in the U.S., yet approximately 80% of strokes can be prevented according to the American Heart Association (AHA). To improve stroke care and patient outcomes, HCA Healthcare, in collaboration with the AHA, has initiated a program focused on stroke awareness and prevention, timely treatment, and recurrence reduction.
As part of the AMA Health System Member Program, HCA Healthcare launched the Getting to the Heart of Stroke™ initiative emphasizing the enhancement of patient outcomes through collaborative efforts between neurology and cardiology teams, providing evidence-based education and addressing health-related social needs.
“Our goal is to ensure the best care possible for the community, from increasing awareness of stroke risks and signs to optimizing the care provided within our healthcare system,” stated cardiologist Steven V. Manoukian, MD, senior vice president at HCA Healthcare and the AHA’s 2024 Healthcare Volunteer of the Year.
Dr. Manoukian further emphasized the AHA’s unique role in this endeavor citing their strong community engagement, commitment to education, and reliable clinical guidelines. As the top voice in cardiovascular clinical knowledge, the AHA is the perfect partner for this initiative.
Enhancing Stroke Care through Collaboration
The pilot program launched at 10 HCA Healthcare stroke centers aimed to bridge the gap between cardiologists, neurologists, and emergency medicine physicians. This multidisciplinary approach improved patient outcomes and increased the healthcare value. Patient diagnostic monitoring improved stroke cause identification by 33%, reducing the risk of stroke recurrence.
To ensure effective team collaboration, the program selection process identified physicians who were willing to guide multidisciplinary teams through new protocols and systems. Investments were made in infrastructure, technology and other tools to support more effective care across disciplines.
Improving Diagnosis and Prevention of Stroke
The pilot program’s main success is the improvement in the system’s ability to accurately diagnose the cause of a patient’s stroke. Generally, patients face a high risk of recurrent stroke within five years of the initial one, the highest risk being in the first year according to AHA’s data. By implementing diagnostic protocols in line with AHA’s recommendations, the pilot program was able to increase the rates of evidence-based testing, leading to a 33% improvement in identifying stroke causes.
Systemwide Expansion
Having cared for over 70,000 patients admitted for stroke, HCA Healthcare is now expanding this initiative to all 43 of its comprehensive stroke centers. The aim is to share findings with other healthcare professionals in order to improve patient outcomes and overall healthcare systems. “We’re committed to sharing our learnings, allowing other health systems to achieve these results even faster,” said Dr. Manoukian.
Moving forward, Dr. Manoukian envisions HCA Healthcare leading similar initiatives across other diseases. Partnerships with organizations focused on other cardiovascular, neurologic conditions, lung health or Alzheimer’s could create best-practice playbooks for other health systems to adopt, increasing progress rates.
Community Engagement and Stroke Prevention
Another major focus of the initiative is expanding awareness and stroke prevention education nationwide. The HCA Healthcare Foundation has reached over 200 million people with evidence-informed education on AFib and stroke risk, in partnership with over 160 community organizations.
“We can actually make a difference,” Dr. Manoukian said, emphasizing the importance of community engagement as a responsibility of every health system. “Hospitals are pillars of the community. We have a responsibility to serve and support those around us…and together we’re even stronger.”
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