Abstract DP340: Chicago’s Stroke System of Care Improves Defect-Free Care for Stroke Patients

Background: The Chicago Stroke System of Care (SOC) was created in 2009 when state legislation passed requiring Illinois’ 11 EMS regions to create a Regional Stroke Advisory Subcommittee. The Chicago Stroke SOC is comprised of 8 CSC’s, 1 TSC, and 16 PSC’s utilizing 1 EMS agency. Bimonthly stroke meetings serve as platform for quality improvement (QI) by reviewing Get With The Guidelines® (GWTG)-Stroke aggregate data and fostering ongoing collaboration between hospitals and EMS leadership to identify performance gaps, share best practices, and implement targeted interventions. Given that many stroke patients do not receive evidence-based care during treatment, an objective of the Chicago Stroke SOC is to enhance care delivery across the system and ensure that all patients receive treatment aligned with established clinical guidelines. Purpose: The purpose of this review was to explore if a regional SOC model focused on data-driven QI could impact Defect-Free Care for stroke patients. Methods: A retrospective review of Chicago Stroke SOC patients between 2009-2024 was conducted using data from GWTG-Stroke. We analyzed the GWTG-Stroke Defect-Free Care measure. Defect Free Measures show what percentage of patients receive all interventions for which they are eligible, i.e. the percentage of “defect-free” care. The measure used includes all 7 GWTG-Stroke Achievement measures Class I guideline recommendations for eligible stroke patients. Results: From 2009-2024, there was an increase in the Defect-Free Measure from 8.4% to 89.9% representing 970% growth in patients across the Chicago Stroke SOC receiving “defect-free care.” This increase was consistent when comparing sex, race, and Hispanic ethnicity. Limitations: This was an observational review of 74,505 patients entered between 2009-2024. While we believe the improvement is in part due to regional QI activities, there could be additional factors that impacted improved compliance. Conclusions: The improvement in the Defect-Free Care Measure highlights the impact of the Chicago Stroke SOC initiative, underscoring how regular convenings of multidisciplinary stroke teams, robust data sharing, and a sustained focus on QI and education can drive gains in adherence to guideline-recommended care. These results reflect the influence of supportive legislation and structured collaboration across sites, demonstrating that consistent data review and collective accountability can enhance stroke care delivery.