• ACE in the News

     
     
     
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    06/01/2015

    Quality Improvement in Pediatric Cardiac Catheterization: An Update

    By: Robert Vincent, MD
    Improving outcomes for patients living with congenital heart disease is a national priority. In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tasked experts to identify the major public health gaps related to congenital heart disease and to suggest methods for addressing these gaps. According to the CDC expert consensus, “Simply identifying the key strategies to improve quality will not be enough; these efforts must be widely disseminated, adopted, and tracked.”

    To date, participation in national data registries, quality initiatives, and accreditation programs related to pediatric congenital heart disease is voluntary. In the future, however, healthcare providers may face various incentives and penalties—financial and otherwise—designed to encourage the implementation of quality improvement initiatives. Therefore, it is vital for all members of the pediatric cardiac catheterization team to understand how quality metrics are defined, how new and emerging initiatives are shaping the standards of quality care in congenital cardiology, and how to become involved in quality improvement efforts.