By Sheree Schroeder, MSN, RN, RDCS, FASE,
ACE Director, Peer Review Programs
"Peer review is our key to being the best physicians we can be, improving our performance, quality and outcomes. The question is: are you performing well?"
Joseph D. Babb, MD, FSCAI,
East Carolina Heart Institute, Greenville, NC
In a thought provoking article in Cath Lab Digest Sheree Schoeder, MSN, RN, RDCS, FASE asks "Who defines quality in the cardiac cath lab?"
Who defines quality in the cardiac cath lab? "The determination of successfully meeting quality metrics in the CCL is complicated and ever-changing. In a pay-for-performance health care model, the insistence of transparency of process and third party validation is an unequivocal reality. Noting that systems of care are increasingly complex, Dr. Babb states, "...it becomes a challenge for all of us to practice at the highest level while keeping up with expert opinion and evidence-based guidelines."
One of the ways to ensure quality in the CCL is to employ external, expert random case peer review, writes Sheree. Proactive peer review can ensure quality and help identify any opportunities for improvement. Quality Review is a system of peer review that relies on standardization and determines quality on angiographic case review utilizing Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) from the most recent published guidelines.
"Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence offers the option for external peer review providing opportunities to look at the CCL for specific issues that need to be addressed," emphasized Charles E. Chambers, MD, FSCAI, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, during the 2013 SCAI Scientific Sessions.
"Being proactive really sits well with external reviewers," stated Ralph G. Brindis, MD, FSCAI, Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco.
For the complete article, click here.
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[i] http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs310/en/index2.html
Accessed 12/18/2013.
[ii] Kochanek KD, Xu JQ, Murphy SL, Miniño AM, Kung HC. Deaths: final data for 2009.National vital statistics reports. 2011;60(3).
[iii] Heidenreich PA, Trogdon JG, Khavjou OA, et al. Forecasting the future of cardiovascular disease in the United States: a policy statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2011;123:933-44. Epub 2011 Jan 24.
[iv] ACCF/AHA/SCAI 2013 Update of the Clinical Competence Statement on Coronary Artery Interventional Procedures, A Report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association/American College of Physicians Task Force on Clinical Competence and Training
Harold, JG et al.