Lutheran Hospital One of First Two in the Nation to Receive ACC Advanced Heart Failure Accreditation
3/31/2021
Lutheran Hospital provides necessary care, resources to heart failure patients
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (March 31, 2021) – The American College of Cardiology (ACC) has recognized Lutheran Hospital for its demonstrated expertise and commitment in treating patients with heart failure. Lutheran Hospital has received Advanced Heart Failure Accreditation based on a rigorous onsite review of the staff’s ability to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients with heart failure through pre-hospital care, early stabilization, acute care, transitional care, clinical quality measures and more. Lutheran Hospital is one of only two in the country and the only hospital in Indiana to receive this accreditation.
Heart failure is a condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs for blood and oxygen. Facilities earning Advanced Heart Failure Accreditation not only demonstrate management of advanced heart failure, but also provide heart transplant and mechanical circulatory support and meet other specific criteria for the Advanced designation.
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.
“The continuum of care Lutheran Hospital delivers begins with the dedication of our team, with the patient at the center,” said Brady Dubois, CEO, Lutheran Hospital. “Our innovative treatments and specialized services are built upon a solid foundation, beginning with primary care and continuing with ongoing evaluation, treatment and advanced surgical options. We are honored to be one of the first in the nation to receive the Advanced Heart Failure Accreditation from the ACC.”
Hospitals receiving Advanced Heart Failure 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 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 effects leading to better patient education, improved outcomes and more effective and efficient disease control.
As an accredited tertiary care facility, Lutheran Hospital provides a range of cardiovascular services to the people of northeastern Indiana and beyond. The hospital was the first in the state and one of the first 10 in the nation certified in transcatheter valve certification by the ACC. In fall 2020, the ACC awarded Lutheran Hospital its highest designation for the third year in a row – the ACC HeartCARE Center National Distinction of Excellence, recognizing a commitment to quality cardiovascular care through ongoing performance measurement.
“The ACC accreditation recognizes our commitment to our patients. Working with each patient, whether through lifestyle changes, intricate valve repair or treatment of advanced heart failure, we are here at every stage of the journey,” said Asim Mohammed, M.D., advanced heart failure and transplant cardiologist and medical director of the Heart Transplant and Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) programs. “Our focus is helping our patients achieve the best possible quality of life.”
The ACC offers U.S. and international hospitals like Lutheran Hospital access to a 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 heart failure.
Back