Jerry Schlegel, MD
Excellence in Stroke Care
“It’s a good feeling to know that I’ve had an impact, not only with my individual stroke patients, but also with practice standards that affect patients around the region.”
For nearly two decades, Dr. Schlegel has been a driving force behind TPMG’s success in improving the care experience and outcomes for patients with strokes. His efforts began in the early 1990s when he advocated for KP to provide a more consistent level of stroke care.
His passion made him the logical choice to lead TPMG’s first Stroke Clinical Practice Guideline project. The group’s first set of guidelines was issued in 1996 and addressed acute stroke treatment with intravenous thrombolytic tPA, as well as evidencebased practice in stroke care.
Dr. Schlegel continues to lead the effort to update the Stroke Clinical Practice Guidelines. He also has been a champion for establishing “acute stroke centers” at each medical center — a goal that’s well on its way to being achieved. “Ilm proud that we were able to bring an improved standard of care for stroke patients across the region,” notes Dr. Schlegel.
Under his leadership, the San Rafael Stroke Center earned certification from Joint Commission; received performance awards from the American Heart Association; and is on track to earn the Joint Commission’s Gold Award, for sustaining a score >85% on “core measures” for 24 months.