Hutchinson Regional Medical Center Receives National Stroke Care Award

Hutchinson Regional Medical Center Receives National Stroke Care Award

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson Regional Medical Center has received the 2025 Silver Rural Stroke Award from the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines program, recognizing the hospital's commitment to excellence in rural stroke care.

The Rural Get With The Guidelines Awards recognize hospitals that work in rural areas and demonstrate adherence to research-driven guidelines for stroke treatment. The awards are available only to hospitals participating in the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke program that are located within a rural geography, as defined by Rural-Urban Commuting Area codes.

To qualify for the Silver Rural Stroke Award, hospitals must demonstrate at least 75% compliance with rural acute stroke composite score criteria over four consecutive quarters with at least two stroke or transient ischemic attack records annually. The performance measures focus on evidence-based treatments and protocols proven to improve patient outcomes.

The criteria include multiple time-sensitive benchmarks critical to stroke care, including door-to-CT scan times of 25 minutes or less, intravenous thrombolytic therapy within 60 minutes of arrival, and proper documentation of stroke symptoms. Hospitals must also demonstrate compliance with emergency medical services pre-notification protocols and dysphagia screening procedures.

"Join us in congratulating our physicians, nurses, and quality improvement professionals for their commitment to excellence in rural stroke care," the hospital stated in announcing the recognition.

The Get With The Guidelines program promotes consistent adherence to the latest research-driven guidelines while providing data to healthcare professionals for continual improvement in patient care. The American Heart Association's recognition system includes Bronze, Silver and Gold award levels, with requirements ranging from one calendar quarter of compliance to eight or more consecutive quarters of meeting performance standards.

Hutchinson Regional Medical Center serves as a critical access point for stroke care in rural Kansas, where timely treatment can significantly impact patient outcomes and recovery.