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    03/30/2016

    Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence (ACE) Awards First-Ever Accreditation for Peripheral Vascular Intervention to Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center

    Wisconsin Hospital First to Add PVI to ACE Accreditations for Peripheral Coronary Intervention and Cardiac Catheterization

    WASHINGTON, DC (PRWEB) MARCH 30, 2016

    Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence (ACE) has awarded the world’s first accreditation for percutaneous vascular intervention (PVI) to Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center in Milwaukee, WI. The distinction marks three ACE accreditations for Aurora St. Luke’s, which was also accredited for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and cardiac catheterization (CC). Another ACE accreditation will be finalized soon as Aurora St. Luke’s is also working toward a carotid artery stenting (CAS) accreditation.

    In achieving ACE accreditation for PVI, Aurora St. Luke’s, which is part of the Aurora Health Care system, has demonstrated that the hospital meets the highest standards for treating patients with peripheral vascular disease (PVD), which can be a difficult challenge for cardiovascular interventionalists. Patients with PVD tend to have long, complex lesions in addition to diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and other co-morbidities that frequently underlie their vascular disease.

    “Given our volumes and experience in PVI, we felt ACE accreditation was the step we needed to maintain and ensure the best possible delivery of care in this subset of patients,” said Aaron Novotney, Senior Director, Integrated Growth in the Enterprise Business Group at Aurora Health Care. “Recognition in this area is consistent with our strong historical reputation for being first-in-market, first-in-region, and first in the nation for various aspects of innovation and delivery of quality cardiovascular care. Now we can say we’re the first in the world to be accredited for PVI.”

    Aurora Health Care clearly views ACE accreditation for PVI as an important credential in providing quality care. “As the health care industry progresses into a data-driven, best-practices environment, hospitals must demonstrate that they deliver good quality and positive outcomes, with high levels of patient satisfaction,” commented Cindy S. Hoyt-Harvey, RN, Director of Cardiac Services at Aurora Medical Center Summit. “While ACE accreditation is not inexpensive, we see it as a ‘pay now or pay later’ proposition. We expect to recoup the cost of accreditation by receiving maximum reimbursement from CMS. The opportunity costs of sub-maximal reimbursement can amount to millions of dollars.”

    “ACE accreditation for PVI will help Aurora St. Luke’s solidify our leadership position as the hospital industry shifts to a ‘volume to value’ paradigm,” added Mr. Novotney. “In the current cost-sensitive landscape, quality is a huge component of the value equation. We expect our increased commitment to quality to lower the cost per episode of care. Demonstrating that level of efficiency can make Aurora St. Luke’s the hospital of choice for patients with PVD.”

    About Aurora Health Care

    Aurora Health Care is an integrated, not-for-profit, and all-for-people health care provider serving communities throughout eastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. The organization got its start in 1984 when two established Milwaukee hospitals, St. Luke’s Medical Center and Good Samaritan Medical Center, came together to form Aurora Health Care. Today Aurora Health Care comprises 15 hospitals, more than 150 clinics, and 70 pharmacies in 30 communities.

    About Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence

    ACE is the leader in and the only provider of full accreditation for facilities that provide cardiovascular care. We have unique and proven experience in accrediting large hospital systems[1] and peer-reviewed data on improving outcomes in cardiac catheterization laboratories.[2] Cardiac cath lab accreditation is our business, and we are an independent organization sponsored by the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI). ACE quality review and accreditation services play a critical role in continuous quality improvement programs, structured reporting and documentation. Join us. Learn more at http://www.cvexcel.org.


     

    |1| http://www.cathlabdigest.com/article/First-Ever-Cardiac-Catheterization-Lab-Accreditation-Program-Hospital-System
    |2| http://www.dicardiology.com/article/defining-value-cardiac-catheterization-lab-accreditation