Monday, March 23, 2015 | 4:13 p.m. CDT

COLUMBIA MU Health Care has been designated one of the state's first Level 1 stroke centers, the highest rating a hospital can receive for its stroke program.

MU Health care joined nine other hospitals in Missouri designated as a "time-critical diagnosis stroke center." Boone Hospital Center shares the status.

According to a news release from MU Health Care, the stroke team treated approximately 61 percent of eligible stroke patients with a clot-busting drug within 45 minutes after they arrived compared to 24 percent in other hospitals across the country.

The process of being designated at any level stroke center is voluntary, Derek Thompson, a spokesman for MU Health Care, said. The hospital must contact the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to apply; the agency then conducts a review that includes auditing, observations and interviews.

MU Health Care is also certified by the Joint Commission as an advanced primary stroke center. MU's stroke team includes experts in neurology, neurosurgery, physical therapy, cardiology and emergency services.

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MU Health Care designated for high-level stroke care