Heart catheterization labs housed within Baptist Cardiac and Vascular Institute and South Miami Heart Center, both part of Baptist Health South Florida, have become the first in Florida to be accredited for diagnostic heart catheterization and angioplasty,or percutaneous coronary intervention.
This designation, by the Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence (ACE), means that the highest quality standards for cardiovascular and endovascular care were met by doctors and staff caring for patients undergoing diagnostic and interventional catheterization procedures in the two facilities. ACE examines safety and patient outcomes when accrediting facilities and compares these factors, among others, to nationally-accepted best practices.
“Being the first in the State of Florida to receive the ACE accreditation is a reflection of the commitment by the doctors, nurses and staff at the Institute and Baptist Health to deliver excellent care,” said Carol Mascioli, vice president, Baptist Hospital. “Our interventional cardiology program is made up of a collaborative team that maintains the safest and highest level of cardiac care for our patients.”
“We decided to seek this accreditation, which is completely voluntary, to show the community that gold-standard heart care is available at Baptist Health,” said Carol Biggs, R.N., South Miami Heart Center vice president. “Interventional catheterizations are common, but people should not take these procedures and the skills needed to successfully perform them lightly.”
Catheterizations involve threading a thin wire, or catheter, through blood vessels leading to the heart to diagnose various heart and blood vessel problems. Stents and balloons delivered via catheters are used to open blood vessels and restore blood flow to the heart in angioplasties. Catheterizations are performed by interventional cardiologists in procedure rooms known as catheterization labs.
“We congratulate these Baptist Health South Florida facilities for seeking and obtaining an ACE percutaneous coronary intervention accreditation,” said ACE Chief Medical Officer Bonnie Weiner, M.D. “By submitting to a rigorous, independent evaluation, these facilities have shown an uncompromising commitment to provide safe, high-quality care.”
Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute and South Miami Heart Center combined perform nearly 4,000 catheterizations a year.