For Release:

May 4, 2022

(New Brunswick, NJ) – Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), an RWJBarnabas Health facility, has earned The Joint Commission’s (TJC) Gold Seal of Approval® for Advanced Certification in Comprehensive Stroke Center by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects a health care organization’s commitment to providing safe and quality patient care.

The RWJUH Stroke program underwent a rigorous virtual survey in April, where a team from TJC evaluated compliance with national standards, clinical guidelines and outcomes of care for stroke. The virtual visit spanned several areas including the Emergency Department, Radiology, Interventional Radiology, Neurocritical Care Unit, Neurology Intermediate Care Unit and Neurology floor. The program received a ‘perfect’ survey result from the visit, meaning there were no requirements for improvement cited.

“Earning this certification from the Joint Commission demonstrates our team’s commitment to quality, patient safety, pursuit of innovation and implementation of the most current, best practices, including clinical trials, to deliver the best possible outcomes for stroke patients in our state,” said Kiwon Lee, MD, Chief of Neurology at RWJUH; Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; and Medical Director of the RWJUH’s Comprehensive Stroke Center.  “Providing exceptional stroke care is the direct result of contributions from our entire multidisciplinary team – neurology, neurosurgery, emergency care, emergency medical services, critical care, nursing, radiology, pharmacy, laboratory, physical rehabilitation, and social work – who work tirelessly to return our patients to an active, healthy lifestyle.”

The Joint Commission’s standards are developed in consultation with health care experts and providers, measurement experts and patients. They are informed by scientific literature and expert consensus to help health care organizations measure, assess and improve performance. The surveyors also conducted onsite observations and interviews.

“We are proud that our Stroke Team has maintained this prestigious certification since 2013,” said Bill Arnold, President and Chief Executive Officer, RWJUH. “Earning this re-certification with a ‘perfect’ survey and such high commendations from TJC surveyors underscores a culture of excellence and patient-centered care across all of the integrated stroke care teams at our academic medical center. Patients and their families can be confident that they will receive the best available interventions and ongoing care for stroke, and have every opportunity to regain the lifestyle they had before their stroke.”

The Comprehensive Stroke Center at RWJUH provides patients with rapid diagnosis and treatment, specialized inpatient care, and access to clinical research through our relationship with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. RWJUH received its first Advanced Certification in Comprehensive Stroke Center in 2013 from TJC. The 2022 certification marks the program’s fifth consecutive re-certification and underscores the institution’s commitment to serve its communities with the highest levels of life-saving care.

RWJUH is also designated a Comprehensive Stroke Center by the New Jersey Department of Health and the American Heart Association (AHA), including as an AHA Get With the Guidelines Gold Plus, Target Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus and Advanced Therapy Honor Roll program. RWJUH was nationally recognized for Stroke care in the 2021-22 US News and World Report Best Hospitals Survey.

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) New Brunswick, an RWJBarnabas Health Facility, is a 600-bed academic medical center that serves as the principal teaching hospital of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the flagship Cancer Hospital of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. Its Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, stroke care, neuroscience, orthopedics, bariatric surgery and women’s and children’s care including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org).  A Level 1 Trauma Center and the first designated Pediatric Trauma Center in the state, RWJUH’s New Brunswick campus serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness.

RWJUH has been named among the best places to work in health care by Modern Healthcare magazine and received the Equity Care of Award as Top Hospital for Healthcare Diversity and Inclusion from the American Hospital Association. RWJUH Brunswick has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety, including the prestigious Magnet® Award for Nursing Excellence and “Most Wired” designation by Hospitals and Health Networks Magazine. The American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer has rated RWJUH New Brunswick among the nation’s best comprehensive cancer centers. For more Information visit us online at www.rwjbh.org/newbrunswick.