PCI Facilities Without On-site Surgical Backup Renew their Commitment to ACE Accreditation Standards
WASHINGTON, DC (PRWEB) JANUARY 06, 2016
Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence (ACE) rang in 2016 by announcing that five hospitals in Pennsylvania have achieved ACE reaccreditation for their elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) facilities as part of the Commonwealth’s exemption regulations. The reaccreditations reflect the five hospitals’ commitment to ACE’s rigorous standards of quality and safety in the face of a nationwide trend toward greater use of PCI without on-site surgical backup.
The five reaccredited hospitals are:
- Holy Redeemer Hospital, Meadowbrook, PA
- Meadville Medical Center, Meadville, PA
- [1] Mount Nittany Medical Center, State College, PA
- Monongahela Valley Hospital, Monongahela, PA
- Armstrong County Memorial Hospital, Kittanning, PA
"The performance of PCI without on-site surgery is an increasingly accepted practice in the United States, as questions about its safety have diminished in the presence of a proven, well-defined, and protocol-driven approach," said ACE Secretary Christopher J. White, M.D., FACC, MSCAI, FAHA, FESC M.D., who is Chief of Medical Services for the Ochsner Medical Center - New Orleans, System Chairman of Cardiovascular Disease for the Ochsner Health System, Medical Director of the John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute, Professor of Medicine for the Ochsner Clinical School-University of Queensland and Past President of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Intervention (SCAI). “State departments of health take a cautious approach to approving facilities for PCI without on-site surgery, and many are seeking or investigating external oversight to ensure delivery of the highest-quality care. By attaining ACE reaccreditation, these five hospitals demonstrate that Pennsylvania is at the forefront of state efforts to secure independent validation of the quality of care in its PCI facilities.”
Pennsylvania and Michigan are two states that have established programs to accredit PCI facilities that lack on-site surgical backup, and other states are considering similar programs. The trend toward increasing use of PCI without on-site surgical backup was documented in a 2014 Expert Consensus Document jointly issued by SCAI, the American College of Cardiology (ACC), and the American Heart Association (AHA). The Expert Consensus Document noted that 45 states currently allow both primary and elective PCI without on-site surgery, compared to 28 states in 2007. [2]
"As more hospitals demonstrate their ability to sustain quality metrics in their performance of PCI procedures without on-site surgical backup, we can expect to see increasing numbers of facilities seeking recognition from accrediting bodies such as ACE," noted Dr. White.
[1] Mount Nittany Medical Center received reaccreditation for both PCI and cardiac catheterization.
[2] Dehmer GJ, Blankenship JC, Cilingiroglu M, et al. SCAI/ACC/AHA Expert Consensus Document: 2014 update on percutaneous coronary intervention without on-site surgical backup. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv. 2014;84(2):169-87.
About Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence
ACE is an independent organization sponsored by the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI). ACE offers independent evaluation and monitoring of facilities that provide cardiovascular care. By reviewing facility and operator performance and comparing clinical decision-making to nationally accepted best practices; ACE quality review and accreditation services play a critical role in continuous quality improvement programs. Learn more at http://www.cvexcel.org.