Beartooth Billings Clinic Receives Certificate of Achievement for Post-acute Care for Stroke Patients
Beartooth Billings Clinic Receives Certificate of Achievement for Post-acute Care for Stroke Patients
Creating confidence in the quality-of-care stroke patients receive during rehabilitation and recovery
Beartooth Billings Clinic has received a certificate of achievement for its participation in the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline Stroke post-acute care initiative to enhance guideline-based care for stroke patients, ultimately improving and prolonging lives.
Beartooth stroke care committee and key participants to obtaining designation include Dr. Jose Ortiz, MD; Bridgett Chartier, Chief Nursing Officer; and Kyle Archbold, Speech Language Pathologist and Rehabilitation Manager. Over 100 hours were spent on training both online and in Helena.
Stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability in the U.S. and approximately 795,000 people each year experience a new or recurrent stroke, according to the American Heart Association’s 2023 statistical update. Participation in the American Heart Association’s post-acute care initiative can help facilities support faster and more effective recovery from stroke through standardized coordination, adherence, and implementation of evidence-based care.
Certificate of achievement recipients have committed to establishing a stroke-specific rehab program, providing stroke education to all staff members, implementing evidence-based protocols and policies, and continuous quality improvement.
Evidence-based rehabilitation and secondary prevention interventions improve recovery after stroke and reduce secondary complications. However, stroke rehabilitation expertise, processes of care, and educational resources vary among sites where post-acute care is delivered. The American Heart Association, the world’s leading nonprofit organization focused on heart and brain health for all, developed quality standards based on the Association’s 2016 Guidelines for Adult Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery to address these gaps.
The post-acute care initiative provides a framework for assisting facilities to improve care according to the American Heart Association’s rigorous science-based requirements for stroke rehabilitation, including program management, patient and caregiver education and support, care coordination, clinical management, and quality improvement.
“Participation in this program benefits the patient and our facility by standardizing care practices,” said Archbold. “When there are evidence-based processes during every phase of care, patients have the best opportunity for positive outcomes. This initiative helps patients and their loved ones know we follow these important best practices.”
“Beartooth is committed to improving patient care by adhering to the latest guidelines,” states Dr. Ortiz, a passionate stroke educator. “The post-acute care initiative makes it easier for our team to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, which studies show can help patients recover better. The end goal is to ensure more people in the Carbon County area can experience longer, healthier lives.”
Continued education will come as soon as Wednesday, October 16 through Simulation in Motion Montana (SIM-MT), providing simulation education with Beartooth Billings Clinic. The SIM-MT curriculum is designed for in-hospital healthcare providers and is focused on improving outcomes for those patients who experience stroke in rural communities across Montana. Future achievement is planned for Beartooth to obtain the AHA’s Skilled Nursing Facility Post-Acute Care Stroke Certification overseeing our swing bed/transitional care patient populations.
Mission: Lifeline Stroke is the American Heart Association’s community-based initiative to develop systems of care to improve outcomes for stroke patients. Made possible with a grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, the post-acute stroke program seeks to implement American Heart Association’s post-acute stroke care quality standards program in rehabilitation facilities across Montana, Nebraska, and North Dakota. The initiative has a goal of giving all patients the best chance at independent life after stroke. Beartooth’s work builds on the Mission: Lifeline Stroke Montana initiative launched in 2020. The goal of Mission: Lifeline stroke is to bring together hospitals, emergency medical services and first responders, rehabilitation facilities, communications and regulatory agencies, state and local government, and payers to forge a proactive system of stroke care that saves and improves lives.