Eisenhower Earns Cardiac Cath Lab and Heart Failure Accreditation

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) has recognized Eisenhower Health for its demonstrated expertise and commitment in treating patients with heart failure, and to those who come to the cardiac cath lab for care. Moreover, Eisenhower Health’s Glickman Cardiac Care Clinic is the only heart failure clinic in the desert.

Eisenhower Health was recently awarded both the Cardiac Cath Lab and Heart Failure Accreditation (four ACC accreditations total) based on a rigorous onsite review of the staff’s ability to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients who come to the cardiac cath lab, as well as those patients with heart failure, through pre-hospital care, early stabilization, acute care, transitional care, clinical quality measures and more.

“Eisenhower Health has demonstrated its commitment to providing the Coachella with excellent heart care,” says Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH, FACC, chair of the ACC Accreditation Management Board. “ACC Accreditation Services is proud to award Eisenhower Health with Heart Failure Accreditation and Cardiac Cath Lab Accreditation.”

Heart failure is a chronic and progressive condition where the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs for blood and oxygen. Hospitals that employ an evidence-based, protocol-driven and systematic approach to managing heart failure have been able to reduce time to treatment and are able to identify and predict high-risk patients while also reducing length-of-stay and hospital readmissions.

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. They ensure that care in the procedure room for sedation, infection control, radiation safety, universal protocol, and time out procedures is fully coordinated; and have 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.

“The exceptional collaboration among our team of cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, nurses and many other partners, has created a system for delivery of world class cardiovascular care,” says Scott Strech, RN, BSN, MBA, Chief Administrative Officer/Administrator, Cardiovascular Services, Eisenhower Health.

Hospitals receiving Heart Failure and Cardiac Cath Lab Accreditation 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; and 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 precise care of heart failure and 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 better patient education, improved patient outcomes, and more effective and efficient disease control.