The Valley Health Heart & Vascular Center at Winchester Medical Center
has been accredited by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC)
in Cardiac Electrophysiology. WMC’s Electrophysiology (EP) Lab is
the first in Virginia, and one of only a handful in the U.S., to receive
IAC accreditation.
The IAC released the new EP accreditation standards in February 2016, covering
device implantation, chronic lead extraction, and testing and ablation.
(EP “devices” include pacemakers to regulate irregular heart
rhythms and implantable cardiac defibrillators, or ICDs, which automatically
deliver an electrical shock, if needed, to correct a dangerous rhythm.)
Cardiac electrophysiology involves specialized diagnostic testing and therapeutic
procedures to relieve symptoms or regulate abnormal heart rate and rhythm
issues. Each year, more than one million cardiac device and ablation procedures
are performed for the treatment of heart rhythm disorders worldwide. Treating
electrical issues of the heart not only improves an individual’s
quality of life, it significantly reduces the risk of debilitating or
deadly stroke and heart-related issues in the future.
"The accreditation from the IAC is a result of the dedication and
hard work of our electrophysiology team,” said cardiologist and
EP specialist Daniel Alexander, DO, Chairman of the Electrophysiology
Clinical Council at Winchester Medical Center. “Accreditation allows
us to focus on best practices, and ensures our patients receive the best
care. This is another example of the innovation and forward thinking at
Valley Health."
Other WMC cardiologists who have been instrumental in developing the electrophysiology
program are J. Dixon Brown, MD; Daniel Reese, MD; and Ajay Virmani, MD.
“We are delighted to be among the first in the nation to meet the
IAC’s new Electrophysiology accreditation standards,” said
WMC President Grady W. (Skip) Philips, III. “We have an exceptional
and experienced cardiology team, a well-equipped lab, and ever-expanding
capabilities. Earning the IAC’s ‘seal of approval’ signals
to patients and referring physicians that they can trust our EP physicians
and team to provide consistently high quality care with a commitment to
continuous improvement.”
WMC’s EP therapeutic capabilities grew this year to include cryoablation
for atrial fibrillation (Afib), an irregular heartbeat that can seriously
impact quality of life. Rather than heat-based radiofrequency ablation,
cryoablation uses freezing cold liquid to destroy extraneous tissue that
causes the heart’s abnormal rhythm. Cryoablation allows the electrophysiologist
to treat a larger area of heart tissue at one time, which reduces the
length of the procedure.
The training and experience of the cardiac electrophysiology specialist
performing the procedure, the type of equipment used and the quality assessment
metrics each facility is required to measure, all contribute to a positive
patient outcome.
Accreditation by IAC indicates that WMC’s Cardiac Electrophysiology
Lab has completed an intensive application and review process and meets
the published standards of practice. Comprised of a detailed self-evaluation
followed by a thorough review by a panel of medical experts, the IAC accreditation
process examines the critical operational and technical components of
the facility, including representative case studies and their corresponding
final reports.