ACE continues to grow at a rapid rate and we have many new clients in the pipeline, including two large hospital systems. We will exceed our goal of doubling the number of ACE Accreditation and External Quality Review clients in 2014, and expect this trend to continue into 2015 and beyond. In addition, three new firsts for ACE include:
- The announcement by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania exceptions committee of the application approval of UPMC East, Monroeville, PA, to perform elective PCI without onsite open heart surgery for their cardiac catheterization lab.
- The pending launch of four new Accreditation and External Review Services for catheter based cardiovascular procedures: Congenital Heart Disease, Electrophysiology including Ablation & Devices, Transcatheter Valve Therapies and Peripheral Vascular Disease.
- Referenced as a pioneer of accreditation standards in the new health policy statement from the ACC, AHA, and SCAI.
2013 and 2014: Tipping Point Years for ACE
In late 2013, we launched the inaugural edition of our newsletter and accredited our first international facility: King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In 2014, we:
- Signed agreements with two new large hospital systems
- Created the 2014 ACE Accreditation Video Series
- Have been featured in several articles in Cath Lab Digest, Cardiovascular Business and Cardiac Cath Lab Director
- Awarded multiple reaccreditations with clients that recognize the value of ACE care for their patients.
The articles and video series include first-hand accounts from physicians whose programs have benefitted from ACE Accreditation and External Quality Review services.
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania approval of the Application of UPMC East
We are extremely proud to announce that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania exceptions committee approved the application of UPMC East, Monroeville, PA, to perform elective PCI without onsite open heart surgery for their cardiac catheterization lab. This approval was based, in part, on UPMC East's successful application for accreditation by ACE.
UPMC East was the first to go through a special application process for ACE accreditation and applied almost immediately after the early 2014 decision by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This decision declared that Pennsylvania cardiac catheterization laboratories that wish to provide elective PCI services, without onsite open heart surgery at their facilities, must be accredited. The Commonwealth states that the accrediting organization must be state department-approved with standards at least equal to those of the Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence (ACE).
ACE was the first organization to be recognized by the Commonwealth and has been providing expert guidance to state regulatory departments on national standard criteria for the cardiac catheterization lab. To date, 50% of the cardiac catheterization lab facilities performing elective PCI procedures without onsite surgery in Pennsylvania have applied for ACE accreditation to seek a waiver from state requirements. State certification may be a new trend, as two other states have inquired about adopting the same type of program for their cardiac catheterization laboratories that wish to provide elective PCI services without onsite open heart surgery.
Four new Accreditation and External Review Services for Catheter-Based Cardiovascular Programs
Due to rapidly increasing demand for our cardiac cath lab PCI, Diagnostic and Carotid Stenting accreditation and quality review services, we are offering four new accreditation and external review services for catheter based cardiovascular programs in order to provide a single point of contact for quality reviews in invasive cardiovascular procedures. They are:
- Congenital Heart Disease
- Electrophysiology including Ablations & Devices
- Transcatheter Valve Therapies
- Peripheral Vascular
ACE's goal is to combine the high level of rigor and proven capabilities to assist clients in reducing unnecessary variation and achieving an easy implementation of rigorous quality programs. ACE is a leader in the invasive cardiovascular community, most recently referenced as a pioneer of accreditation standards in the new health policy statement from the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, and Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (ACC/AHA/SCAI).
ACE understands how to implement a comprehensive and meaningful accreditation process, to bring maximum value to our clients and quality to the invasive cardiology community and its patients. Call us, or learn more about what our clients have to say.