Mercy Health - Cincinnati, which provides advanced, compassionate, quality care in your neighborhood through its care network, announces that The American College of Cardiology (ACC) has recognized its cardiac cath lab services with Cardiac Cath Lab Accreditation with PCI.
Mercy Health has these services available at four of its area hospitals - Anderson, Fairfield and West Hospitals and The Jewish Hospital. The expertise and commitment that the lab teams demonstrated in treating patients who come in for care, including diagnostic catheterizations and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures, earned them the recognition.
PCI is also known as coronary angioplasty. It is a non-surgical procedure that opens narrowed or blocked coronary arteries with a balloon to relieve symptoms of heart disease or reduce heart damage during or after a heart attack.
The ACC awarded accreditation to the cath labs based on rigorous onsite evaluation of the staff’s ability to evaluate, diagnose and treat cardiac cath lab patients.
Hospitals that have proven exceptional competency in treating patients who require cardiac catheterization have:
- Standardized their assessment process for patients before undergoing catheterization to ensure quality and patient safety
- Ensured that care in the procedure room for sedation, infection control, radiation safety, universal protocol and time out procedures is fully coordinated
- Mastered the appropriate transfer to a cath recovery unit to better monitor and track complications, enhance physician-to-patient communication, patient family communication, discharge instructions and follow-up information
“Mercy Health - Cincinnati has demonstrated its commitment to providing residents of Greater Cincinnati with excellent heart care,” said Phillip D. Levy, MD, FACC, chair of the ACC Accreditation Management Board. “ACC Accreditation Services is proud to award Mercy Health’s Cincinnati-area cath labs with Cardiac Cath Lab Accreditation.”
“I congratulate Mercy Health – Cincinnati’s cath lab teams on earning this accreditation,” said Mercy Health – Cincinnati President Dave Fikse. “When seconds count and it’s vital to diagnose a patient experiencing a cardiovascular issue quickly and correctly, this accreditation reinforces to patients and their families that we have demonstrated our dedication to providing care in line with the best practices available.”
A cardiac catheterization lab, also known as a “cardiac cath lab,” is where heart specialists diagnose and treat cardiovascular disease using minimally invasive procedures instead of surgery.
Hospitals receiving Cardiac Cath Lab Accreditation with PCI from the ACC must take part in a multi-faceted clinical process that involves:
- completing a gap analysis
- examining variances of care
- developing an action plan
- a rigorous onsite review
- monitoring for sustained success
Improved methods and strategies of caring for patients include streamlining processes, implementing guidelines and standards, and adopting best practices in the care of cath lab patients. Facilities that achieve accreditation meet or exceed an array of stringent criteria and have organized a team of doctors, nurses, clinicians, and other administrative staff that earnestly support the efforts leading to improved patient outcomes.
The ACC offers U.S. and international hospitals like Mercy Health - Cincinnati access to a comprehensive suite of cardiac accreditation services designed to optimize patient outcomes and improve hospital financial performance. These services are focused on all aspects of cardiac care, including the cath lab.