One of Corazon’s Spring 2024 Conference Breakout Sessions offered was entitled “Key Neuroscience Strategic Considerations: When to Elevate Your Stroke Program Beyond Primary Stroke. I had the privilege of speaking with Cory Ferrier, Vice President of Business Development at Adventist Health, Semi Valley and Craig Brubaker, PhD, Vice President, Neuroscience Institute, AdventHealth Orlando.
The presentation started with foundational CDC 2021 stroke statistics, such as 1 out of every 6 deaths related to cardiovascular disease is from a stroke. This equates to approximately 795,000 strokes per year. Stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability in the U.S. The total annual stroke costs (direct & indirect) are projected to increase to $240.67 billion by 2030, an increase of 129% compared to 2021. Therefore, the need for stroke care and services is expected to grow to meet the demands of an aging U.S. population.
Cory Ferrier highlighted in his portion of the presentation the top considerations when assessing the strategic move from Primary Stroke designation to thrombectomy-capable. He emphasized the initial need to look at market share potential to validate if there is enough volume and referral sources to support the strategic move to become a Mechanical Thrombectomy program. Cory also emphasized the importance of dedicated physician leadership along with creating a multidisciplinary team focused on the clinical and foundational components of assessing and implementing a thrombectomy-capable program. Cory ended his portion of the presentation with emphasizing the importance of utilizing technology not only for clinical support such as tele-neurology but also utilizing AI (Viz.ai) to improve quality metrics and improve care delivery times for identified Large Vessel Occlusion (LVO) patients.
Craig Brubaker then progressed the discussion by reviewing critical strategic elements that should be in place to successfully move a stroke program from Thrombectomy Capable to a Comprehensive Stroke program. Craig outlined the key strategic and operational considerations for moving to a Comprehensive Stroke Program. Craig emphasized the need for a physician governance structure and a statewide governance structure to ensure standardization of care with timely regional coordination of care for potential LVO patients. Craig shared quality outcomes and positive regional performance metrics as a result of ensuring a thoughtful state and regional governance structure to support stroke care in the Florida market.
Due to the positive feedback of this session and the desire to offer this education to a broader audience, Corazon will be adding this live presentation to our webinar line-up in the upcoming months.
If you are not currently signed up for our free webinars through Corazon, please register today. This is free to all those who register and conveniently scheduled, usually around the lunch hour EST. Visit our website today to learn more! Corazon and our experts in the service line industry share best practices and other practical information with participants who assist with operations and service line strategy.
