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Centennial Hills Hospital earned The Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval^® and the American Stroke Association^® Heart-Check mark as a Certified Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center (TSC) for its 339-bed acute care hospital.

The hospital underwent a rigorous, on-site review in November 2021. During the survey, Centennial Hills Hospital program members provided the surveyor with information and examples of evidence-based measures, including identification of stroke that includes large vessel occlusions, appropriate treatment of stroke (including ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes), perceptions of the patient’s experience and examples of stroke education.

Large vessel occlusions are a type of stroke that occurs in a large vessel of the brain with the potential to cause significant, disabling strokes. Blood clots in the brain can be removed, when appropriate, through the specialized equipment and expertise of the interventional radiology medical team. The procedure involves making a small incision, usually near the groin, and threading a catheter to the blockage site to remove the clot. Patients who receive this advanced treatment have a greater chance to return to normal functioning and reduced risk of a serious disability, such as paralysis.

Elevating the Quality of Stroke Care

Centennial Hills Hospital follows a specific, interdisciplinary plan to continually improve stroke outcomes in the lives of its patients. Today, the hospital offers advanced neurology and neurosurgical services including stroke diagnosis and treatment, neurosurgical and neurovascular services and interventional radiology services to treat brain aneurysms (a bulge in the wall of an artery) or blood clots. The hospital also offers outpatient therapy for patients recovering from a stroke.

“I’m proud of our team’s ongoing commitment to elevate the quality of stroke care for our community,” said Sajit Pullarkat, CEO of Centennial Hills Hospital. “Many people don’t know there are different kinds of stroke that require different levels of treatment. Not every hospital is equipped or capable of performing thrombectomies, and having access to this level of medical expertise benefits the residents of Northwest Las Vegas and surrounding communities.”

The Joint Commission surveyor also identified a best practice within the hospital’s emergency department related to pharmacy management and community collaboration with EMS partners and the Southern Nevada Health District, added Pullarkat.

“Earning the Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center certification has been years in the making, beginning in March 2013 when we first earned Primary Stroke Certification,” said Pullarkat. “The collective commitment of our employees, medical staff and EMS partners highlights our continued dedication to providing the best possible stroke care to our patients, even as we worked through all the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years.”

The Joint Commission standards are developed in consultation with healthcare experts and providers, measurement experts and patients. The reviewer also conducted on-site observations and interviews.

“The Certified Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center certification recognizes healthcare organizations committed to fostering continuous quality improvement in patient safety and quality of care,” says Mark Pelletier, RN, MS, Chief Operating Officer, Accreditation and Certification Operations, and Chief Nursing Executive, The Joint Commission. “We commend Centennial Hills Hospital for using certification to reduce variation in its clinical processes and to strengthen its program structure and management framework for patients affected by stroke.”

“We congratulate Centennial Hills Hospital for this outstanding achievement,” says Nancy Brown, Chief Executive Officer of the American Stroke Association. “This certification reflects its commitment to providing the highest quality of care for stroke patients.”