Washington, D.C., February 1, 2011. Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence ("ACE") announced today that it is launching a new accreditation process for facilities that conduct diagnostic cardiac catheterizations and percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). The goal of the new ACE accreditation program is to improve quality of care and increase patient safety through the consistent use of guideline and science-driven standards of practice.
"The increasing public and legislative focus on healthcare reform and patient safety has provided an opportunity for us to help cardiovascular facilities across the US objectively evaluate their diagnostic and PCI processes from top to bottom. Our new accreditation methodology is derived from evidence-based best practices, practice guidelines and national outcomes data, so each facility is assessed against clearly-articulated, objective standards," said ACE Chief Medical Officer Bonnie Weiner. "An ACE accreditation tells payors, consumers and policy makers that a facility conducts diagnostic cath and PCI procedures according to accepted standards."
Depending on the nature of the facility involved, the ACE accreditation process includes, among other things, site visits by trained nurse and/or physician reviewers, validation of data reported to nationally recognized registries, a quantitative comparison of the facility's outcomes data to national data, corrective action plans and continuing review of outcomes data and reporting requirements in the case of certain changes that could affect accreditation status.
"Our goal is to maximize patient safety by ensuring the delivery of interventional cardiovascular care that meets current standards," said Weiner. "By using an outcomes-based accreditation combined with universally-accepted benchmarks, we ensure that facility practices meet independent, peer-reviewed standards for the highest quality care." The new on line accreditation application will be available February 15, 2011.
About ACE
Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to ensure high-quality patient care and promote patient safety in facilities where invasive cardiac and endovascular procedures are performed. ACE achieves its mission by setting standards for quality care, establishing requirements for accreditation, and providing peer review of cardiac and endovascular programs. ACE also provides tools and resources to support self-evaluation and quality improvement. For more information about ACE, visit http://www.cvexcel.org.
For more information, contact:
Mary E. Heisler, RN, BA
Executive Director
Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence
2400 N Street NW Suite 500
Washington, DC 20037-1153
Ph: 202.657.6859
Email: mheisler@cvexcel.org