Several team members from Cox Barton County Hospital recently showcased their efforts by presenting a poster on implementing a bundled imaging protocol within its Level 3 Stroke program.

The poster highlighted how Cox Barton, a 25-bed critical access hospital, is setting the standard for rural stroke care. Kami Frieden, RN, assistant nurse manager of the ER; Dr. Jeremy Sturgell, ER Medical Director; and Judy Good, RN, coordinator of the Time Critical Diagnosis program, represented the hospital with distinction at the American Heart Association's International Stroke Conference held in Los Angeles, CA. The International Stroke Conference is the world's leading event focused on the science and treatment of cerebrovascular diseases and brain health.

By implementing a bundled imaging protocol that includes Computed Tomography (CT) and Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA), along with enhanced coordination and education for the care team, Cox Barton successfully streamlined its processes to improve patient outcomes. A reduction in time was achieved by introducing early bundled vessel imaging for all stroke code activations, setting an internal goal to reduce the CTA suite door-to-report time to less than 45 minutes, and improving door-in-door-out times. As a result, Cox Barton met the <90-minute goal established by the American Heart Association’s "Get With The Guidelines®" program.

The protocols established to reduce time are an outstanding achievement for Cox Barton, demonstrating that rural hospitals can indeed make a significant impact on health care.

Cox Barton County Hospital's Stroke team presents at national conference