ACC, AHA combining hospital accreditation services
Hospitals seeking cardiovascular accreditation services will no longer have to go to the American Heart Association (AHA) and American College of Cardiology (ACC) separately beginning in 2017.
The organizations announced they’ll co-brand a “single, comprehensive set” of accreditation services focused on “all aspects of cardiac care,” including cardiac catheterization, atrial fibrillation and heart failure.
“The ACC and the AHA have worked together for more than 30 years to develop cardiovascular clinical guidelines and translate those guidelines into programs and services that shape clinical care and improve patient outcomes,” ACC CEO Shal Jacobovitz said in a press release. “Through this collaboration we can increase the scope and positive impact of accreditation on cardiovascular patient care.”
The combined services will process improvement tools integrating evidence-based science, quality initiatives, best clinical practices and the latest guidelines from the organizations. The ACC and AHA say more accreditation products will be developed over time.
ACC had added accreditation services in January 2016 when the 18-year-old Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC) merged with the ACC. AHA’s accreditation has existed for more than a decade, reaching 2,000 hospitals with its certification and quality improvement programs.
“Bringing together the collective resources and expertise of our two organizations, we have a unique opportunity to further accelerate the improvement of cardiovascular care for all Americans,” AHA CEO Nancy Brown said in a statement. “This collaboration builds upon our shared commitment to transform health care and help people live healthier lives free of cardiovascular diseases.”
More information about the co-branded accreditation can be found at cardiacaccreditation.org.
John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.