An interview with Lynn Smith RN, MSN, Director of Heart and Vascular Services, Bon Secours St. Francis Health System, Greenville, South Carolina.
Issue Number: Volume 23 - Issue 8 - August, 2015
In 2011, Bon Secours St. Francis Health System in Greenville, South Carolina, was the first hospital to be nationally recognized with Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence (ACE) accreditation. They followed that accomplishment in February 2014 by becoming the first hospital ever to receive reaccreditation for its CathPCI program from ACE.
By comparing information collected against national data and best practices as defined by experts in the field of interventional cardiology, ACE accreditation brings a strategic, long-term approach to quality improvement. Bon Secours St. Francis Health System achieved full accreditation with ACE for two years in 2011. To achieve ACE reaccreditation, the staff and physicians at Bon Secours St. Francis Health System worked side by side with ACE’s expert cardiology professionals to implement appropriate use criteria (AUC), engage providers in the quality outcomes process, and validate compliance with current published guidelines and national standards. ACE reaccreditation recognizes the hard work and commitment of all members of the Bon Secours St. Francis Health System cardiac catheterization team.
Perspectives on ACE Reaccreditation is a series that explores the ACE reaccreditation process from inside the cath lab. In the current article, Lynn Smith provides her viewpoint on the ACE reaccreditation process as a cardiac cath lab director with Bon Secours St. Francis Health System. Prior articles explored the ACE reaccreditation process from the perspectives of the healthcare executive and the interventional cardiologist.