Leading treatment centers and patient group form alliance to improve AFib care

Five heart treatment centers in four states, along with an atrial fibrillation (AFib) patient advocacy group have formed a national alliance to improve arrhythmia treatment by sharing information on best practices, creating better care standards and gathering outcome information.

The new National Alliance of Integrated AFib Centers (NAIAC) so far includes the following members and plans include expanding the membership to additional treatment centers:

• Sentara Heart Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia
• Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles, California
• St. Helena Arrhythmia Center in Napa Valley, California
• St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport, Conneticut
• Orlando Health Heart Institute in Orlando, Florida
• StopAfib.org, the national patient group

The group is also dedicated to helping AFib patients by making information more accessible, including information about where to receive treatment. AFib procedures do come with a small risk for serious complications, and there is little consumer facing information that would allow patients to determine which treatment centers in their regions have the best quality of care.

NAIAC will among other things analyze specific patient outcomes data and monitor the individual performance of centers within the alliance. AFib patients will be able to get NAIAC help in finding the “closest center of excellence for treatment to ensure the highest standard of care.”

“As an AFib patient, I can personally and professionally say that we must improve the quality of care for irregular heartbeat patients,” stated Jonathan Philpott, M.D., the NAIAC’s president and a cardiothoracic surgeon at Sentara Heart Hospital. “Utilizing our collective resources and expertise, NAIAC will help AFib patients better understand their condition and treatment options in order to attain a much higher quality of life.”