CCH Earns Heart Failure Reaccreditation

Central Carolina Hospital has received reaccreditation of its heart failure program from the American College of Cardiology (ACC).

Accreditation by the ACC follows a rigorous on-site review on Dec. 10 of the hospital’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.

“This distinction recognizes our facility, providers and staff for their demonstrated expertise and commitment in treating patient with heart failure,” said Dave Santoemma, CEO of CCH. “It signifies that CCH is continually making efforts to improve our processes and outcomes for our patients.”

“This is a significant accomplishment,” said Sarah Rick, RN, MSN, CPHRM, CPPS, Director of Quality, Patient Safety and Risk Management. “The ACC’s on-site review encompassed Central Carolina’s Emergency Department and our inpatient units. Achieving this important milestone requires hard work, dedication and teamwork.”

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.

Facilities that achieve ACC 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 efforts leading to better patient education, improved patient outcomes, and more effective and efficient disease control.

To achieve accreditation, hospitals 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

The ACC’s review process helps to identify improved methods and strategies of caring for patients, such as streamlining processes, implementing guidelines and standards, and adopting best practices in the precise care of heart failure patients.

“Central Carolina Hospital has demonstrated its commitment to providing Sanford and Lee County with excellent heart care,” said Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH, FACC, chair of the ACC Accreditation Management Board. “ACC Accreditation Services is proud to award CCH with Heart Failure Accreditation.”

PHOTO CAPTION: Left to right are LaCrecia Reives, RN, Central Carolina Hospital; Debra Wolfe, American College of Cardiology Accreditation Review Specialist; Jessica Dunn, BSN, RN, Clinical Excellence Specialist for Quality at CCH; and Anastasia Dolgovskij, PA-C, Central Carolina Cardiology.