Improving Arkansas Stroke Outcomes

Cerebrovascular accidents (CVA), also known as strokes, can cause debilitating and often life-threatening changes to patients that experience them. The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) has committed itself to improving the care that Arkansans receive after experiencing a stroke. One product of this comittment is the Arkansas Stroke Registry (ASR), which was started in 2013 in collaboration with the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. The registry collects data from 60 hospitals accross the state in real time. The goal of the ASR is to optimize quality of stroke care, decrease death and disability associated with acute stroke, reduce disparities in stroke patient care, and increase public awareness of stroke treatment and provention. This Scorecard will track how well we, as a state, are providing care to these patients using a series of metrics. These data are derived from the ASR, Center for Disease Control, American College of Cardiology's National Cardiovascular Data Registry, and the Hospital Discharge Data System. Arkansas data will be compared to national averages or benchmarks derived from the American Heart and American Stroke Associations. These metric comparisons will allow professionals at the ADH to identify shortcomings when compared to national averages and the recommended benchmarks set by the AHA. The ADH can use this knowledge to mobilize and utilize targeted interventions to improve patient care.