Mississippi Administrative Code
Title 15 - Mississippi Department of Health
Part 8 - Office of Health Policy and Planning
Subpart 90 - Planning and Resource Development
Chapter 05 - Acute Care Facilities and Services Overview
Section 15-8-90-05-521 - Acute Ischemic Stroke System of Care

Mississippi ranks fourth in the nation in occurrence of death from the immediate and long-term effects of stroke. Moreover, stroke continues to be the fifth leading cause of death and a leading cause of disability in Mississippi. However, eighty-three percent (83%) of stroke occurrences in Calendar Year 2015 were potentially treatable ischemic strokes. The primary goal of the Mississippi Stroke System of Care is to get the patient suffering from a stroke to an appropriate hospital so that patients who are candidates for thrombolytic and interventional therapies may receive appropriate care in a timely manner. This approach is supported by research that shows early thrombolytics for ischemic stroke and interventional therapy for large vessel occlusion improve outcomes in patients suffering from these types of stroke. Therefore, the Stroke System of Care has focused on early recognition of strokes by educating individuals to call 911 when a stroke occurs, minimizing door to CT times and ensuring early administration of thrombolytics.

In Mississippi, most of the specialty physicians, like neurologists, are in select large medical centers; therefore, access to a stroke specialist is a primary concern in stroke care. Unlike trauma and STEMI systems of care, where it is essential to get the patient to a specialty facility in the shortest amount of time, stroke care can be initiated at a rural facility in conjunction with input from a nurse practitioner trained in stroke care, either by telephone or telemedicine. A careful patient history and examination, laboratory analysis, and a head CT can be done at "Stroke-Ready" hospitals, allowing the timely decision to treat the patient with thrombolytic therapy at that hospital before transfer to a "Stroke Center" ("Drip and Ship") if needed for neurological, neurosurgical, or neuro-interventional support.