The Valley Health Heart & Vascular Center at Winchester Medical Center
(WMC) has been awarded the American Heart Association’s Cardiovascular
Center of Excellence accreditation, a new comprehensive designation developed
in collaboration with the American College of Cardiology.
The new level of designation recognizes WMC’s commitment to providing
proven, multi-disciplinary treatment within a comprehensive system of
care to patients with complex cardiac conditions. The Center of Excellence
accreditation recognizes the quality of the overall program, as well as
Valley Health’s demonstrated efforts to expand community awareness
of the importance of cardiovascular health.
“We are proud to be among the very first programs to receive this
highly-distinctive Cardiovascular Center of Excellence accreditation,”
said WMC President and Valley Health Senior Vice President Grady W. (Skip)
Philips, III. “This recognition is a testament to our team’s
commitment to our regional community and to the excellence of our cardiovascular
clinicians, leaders and staff.”
During the on-site accreditation survey in April, cardiovascular quality
improvement specialists reviewed WMC’s policies, procedures and
operations to ensure appropriate diagnosis, treatment and education protocols
were in place and implemented for cardiovascular patients. The reviewers
also learned about Valley Health’s close partnership with EMS, community
education and outreach activities including free screenings for heart
attack risk, heart rhythm, and carotid artery problems, and a popular
“Survive. Don’t Drive!” campaign.
Through the accreditation program, the American Heart Association and American
College of Cardiology hope to significantly reduce cardiac death and disability
by teaching the public to recognize and react to early symptoms of heart
diseases, reduce the time it takes to receive lifesaving treatment and
increase the accuracy and effectiveness of the care that is given.
“While our ultimate goal is to reduce the incidence of heart disease
in the first place, our WMC team is focused on working collaboratively
within our facility, with referring physicians, EMS, and the larger community
to provide patents the best cardiovascular care possible,” notes
cardiothoracic surgeon Basel Ramlawi, MD, Chairman, Valley Health Heart
& Vascular Center. “We treat a wide range of conditions –
including chest pain, arrhythmias, heart failure and valve, aorta and
heart vessel disease – through innovative therapeutic strategies
and comprehensive, patient-tailored care. It’s gratifying to know
we exceed high national standards as a Center of Excellence.”
Over the years, the WMC program has been recognized for key services such
as chest pain, cardiac catheterization, atrial fibrillation, electrophysiology,
cardiac surgery and vascular care. In March, the Valley Health Heart &
Vascular Center at WMC was accredited by the American College of Cardiology
for its expertise in treating patients with atrial fibrillation, or AFib,
a common arrhythmia which can lead to increased risk of stroke, heart
failure and other complications. Hospitals accredited in Atrial Fibrillation
with EPS (electrophysiology services) use an evidence-based, protocol-driven
and systematic approach to managing AFib and have been able to reduce
time to treatment, better identify and predict high-risk patients, and
limit the length of stay in the emergency department and hospital.
WMC’s Heart & Vascular program draws patients from a broad region
seeking specialty services typically found only at urban or academic centers.
In 2017, program physicians and staff had more than 24,000 patient encounters
for cardiovascular diagnostic and treatment services.
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About Valley Health System
Valley Health is a not-for-profit health system serving a population of
more than 500,000 in northwest Virginia, West Virginia’s Eastern
Panhandle, and western Maryland. Valley Health includes six hospitals,
more than 50 physician practices, a regional medical transport service,
home care, and Urgent Care centers in five communities. Winchester Medical
Center, Valley Health’s 455-bed regional referral hospital, has
been recognized consistently by national quality rating organizations
for its comprehensive cardiology and cardiovascular surgery services and
heart attack treatment times, which outperform national standards. Valley
Health Heart and Vascular patients also have access to a variety of clinical
research trials, offering treatment innovations for drugs and devices
not otherwise available. Visit
www.valleyhealthlink.com/heart.
About the American Heart Association’s Cardiovascular Center of Excellence
Accreditation
The Cardiovascular Center of Excellence (CVCOE) accreditation offers cardiovascular
programs a model to ensure best practices and evidence–based medicine
is implemented in a standardized fashion for the delivery of cohesive
and consistent multidisciplinary cardiovascular care. The CVCOE Accreditation
is a capstone for facilities that have or are pursuing three cornerstone
accreditations: Chest Pain, Atrial Fibrillation, Heart Failure or Cardiac
Catheterization Lab. CVCOE carries additional standards focused on the
areas of Governance, System of Care, and Clinical Quality. For more information
about this accreditation, visit
www.heart.org/cardiacaccreditation.
About the American College of Cardiology
The American College of Cardiology is a 52,000-member medical society that
is the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team. The
mission of the College is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve
heart health. The ACC leads in the formation of health policy, standards
and guidelines. The College operates national registries to measure and
improve care, offers cardiovascular accreditation to hospitals and institutions,
provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research
and bestows credentials upon cardiovascular specialists who meet stringent
qualifications. For more, visit
http://www.acc.org.