New York State Stroke Designation Program
Please note the following dates and information for the upcoming 2026 Stroke HERDS Annual Review Tool Survey:
- 2026 Stroke HERDS Annual Review Tool Survey Opens: Monday, April 20, 2026, at 9 AM.
- Annual Submission Due Date: Friday, May 29, 2026, at 11:59 PM
Webinar Links:
The New York State Department of Health announces the public release of the 2024 stroke summary tables displaying statistics for acute stroke inpatient discharges identified in the Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS). The tables can be found in the "Stroke Data" tab.
New York State non-residents, elective admissions, and patients under 18 years of age at admission were excluded. This summary can be used to view the number of acute stroke discharges for age, sex, race/ethnicity, stroke type, patient's EMS region of residence, patient's county of residence, and hospital stroke designation tier.
The Department has released an updated Stroke Guidance Document Version 26.1 (PDF), which went into effect January 1, 2026.
Stroke Designation Program - Adopted March 2019
On March 20, 2019, a new regulation at 10 NYCRR 405.34 was adopted to allow the New York State Stroke Designation Program to transition to a three-tiered stroke system of care that recognizes the advanced capabilities of hospitals to treat complex stroke patients in a multi-tiered system. The goal of the Stroke Designation Program is to recognize and treat stroke patients as quickly as possible at the right place.
The Department will recognize and designate hospitals as:
- Primary Stroke Centers: Capable of treating acute ischemic stroke with IV thrombolytics and comprehensive supportive care.
- Thrombectomy Capable Stroke Centers: Capable of treating large vessel occlusions with intracranial endovascular intervention in addition to meeting Primary Stroke Center requirements.
- Comprehensive Stroke Centers: Capable of treating subarachnoid intracerebral hemorrhage with neurosurgical services in addition to meeting Primary Stroke and Thrombectomy Capable Stroke Center requirements.
List of Currently Designated Stroke Centers in New York State
Reporting Performance Measures and Time Targets
After a stroke center receives New York State Stroke Center Designation, it will be required to report specific performance measures and time targets, as outlined in the NYS Stroke Center Guidance Document, to the Department. Following designation, stroke centers will no longer submit performance measures and time targets to HERDS but will instead enter this data in a stroke registry (e.g. Get With The Guidelines). The Department will access stroke center data on a quarterly basis for quality improvement purposes. Stroke centers are required to give the Department permission to access their data directly in the stroke registry. Data review will occur according to the following schedule:
| Quarter | Timeframe | Earliest Review |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | January 1 - March 31 | June 30 |
| Q2 | April 1 - June 30 | September 30 |
| Q3 | July 1- September 30 | December 31 |
| Q4 | October 1- December 31 | March 31 |
History of Stroke Designation Program
The Department Stroke Designation Program began as a demonstration pilot program in 2002 in select areas of the state and later expanded to the entire state in 2004. Under this pre-regulation program, the Department only recognized hospitals with advanced capabilities to treat and support stroke patients as Primary Stroke Centers. On March 20, 2019, a new regulation at 10 NYCRR Section 405.34 was adopted to allow the New York State Stroke Designation Program to transition to a three-tiered stroke system of care that recognizes the advanced capabilities of hospitals to treat stroke patients in a multi-tiered system. This regulation effectively ended the single tier, pre-regulation Stroke Designation Program and created the multi-tiered Stroke Designation Program. Hospitals that received stroke designation prior to March 20, 2019, were required to comply with the transition period described in 10 NYCRR 405.34 (g). Hospitals were required to enter into a contract with an approved Certifying Organization by March 20, 2021. Once contracted, hospitals had one year to be certified by the Certifying Organization and apply for Stroke Center Designation with the Department. Initially, hospitals were allotted three years to complete this process or risk losing their stroke designation, ending March 20, 2022. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this deadline was extended for one year, with the transition period officially concluding March 20, 2023. This transition period did not apply to hospitals who had not achieved NYS Stroke Center Designation prior to March 20, 2019.
