Mortality Rate - Acute Stroke This is the mortality rate for patients, age 18 years and older, at a particular hospital who had a stroke. Stroke is the sudden death of some brain cells due to lack of oxygen when blood flow to the brain is impaired by a blockage or rupture of an artery to or in the brain. A stroke is also referred to as a cerebrovascular accident (CVA). A stroke is a medical emergency. Anyone suspected of having a stroke should be taken immediately to a medical facility for diagnosis and treatment. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Quality treatment for acute stroke must be timely and efficient to prevent potentially fatal brain tissue death. Unfortunately, in many cases, symptoms do not appear until after that critical window has passed. Better processes of care may reduce mortality from stroke; lower mortality suggests better quality care. This measure assesses the number of deaths per 100 patients, age 18 years and older, discharged with a diagnosis-related group (DRG) code of stroke. This data has been risk adjusted. Risk adjustment is a process of accounting for differences in patient population based on many parameters such as age, sex, severity of illness, risk of mortality, and other attributes. Risk adjustment allows us to fairly compare hospitals across a wide range of healthcare measures. This measure of quality should be used in conjunction with other measures to gain a more complete understanding of the quality picture. Reference: [1] [4]

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