St. Vincent Healthcare Receives Certification in Advanced Stroke Treatment from Joint Commission

St. Vincent Healthcare, now part of Intermountain Health, has received a national certification for the advanced treatment of stroke. The Advanced Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center Certification from The Joint Commission demonstrates that St. Vincent meets the healthcare industry’s most rigorous standards for performing endovascular thrombectomy and providing excellent patient care.

Thrombectomy is an innovative treatment for ischemic strokes, when a stroke specialist guided by imaging technology uses a catheter device to remove a clot that is blocking blood flow to the brain. Until recently, this advanced stroke care was primarily offered in large medical centers in urban areas.

In the fall of 2021, St. Vincent launched Montana’s first full-time interventional stroke program. As a result, most stroke patients can now stay in-state to receive life-saving treatment, including the thrombectomy procedure.

Additionally, in October, St. Vincent invested in a new biplane 3-D imaging system, allowing St. Vincent specialists to better locate and treat blockages that cause stroke and identify aneurysms. In the case of stroke and aneurysm, quickly treating patients is crucial to ensuring survival and recovery.

Since the launch of the program, almost 100 patients from across Montana and the region have benefited from these advancements in neurovascular care, including more than 25 undergoing the thrombectomy procedure.

“The ability to keep patients close to home and save time when it is most crucial are the driving forces for growing our interventional stroke program and adding this new state-of-the-art technology,” said James Richards, MD, medical director of the St. Vincent Stroke Program. “We are so proud to be able to offer this advanced level of care 24-7, 365 days a year, provided by the leading specialists in their field. This certification is a recognition of the growth in the treatment of stroke at St. Vincent and a tribute to our caregivers providing this cutting-edge care to Montana.”

The St. Vincent Neuroscience Center is well-known for providing comprehensive medical services to treat various disorders affecting the brain and spine, such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, brain tumors, migraines, and epilepsy.

St. Vincent Healthcare was the first hospital in a five-state region to be recognized as a Primary Stroke Center by the Joint Commission. The Advanced Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center certification adds to this previous national recognition and establishes St. Vincent as offering the highest level of neurovascular care in the region, evidenced by meeting the higher standards of care required by the Joint Commission.

About Intermountain Health

Headquartered in Utah with locations in seven states and additional operations across the western U.S., www.intermountainhealth.org is a nonprofit system of 33 hospitals, 385 clinics, medical groups with some 3,900 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For more information or updates, see https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.