North Carolina’s Only Hospital with An Accredited Catheterization Lab
CarolinaEast Medical Center’s cardiac catheterization lab is the first in the state to be accredited by the American College of Cardiology (ACC). CarolinaEast was awarded the three-year accreditation this November based on rigorous onsite evaluation of the staff’s ability to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients who come to the cardiac cath lab.
“CarolinaEast has demonstrated its commitment to providing Eastern and Coastal North Carolina with excellent heart care,” said Phillip D. Levy, MD, FACC, chair of the ACC Accreditation Management Board. “ACC Accreditation Services is proud to award CarolinaEast Medical Center with Cardiac Cath Lab Accreditation.”
This accreditation means that CarolinaEast has proven exceptional competency in treating patients who require cardiac catheterization and has standardized their assessment process for patients before undergoing catheterization to ensure quality and patient safety. They ensure that care in the procedure room for sedation, infection control, radiation safety, universal protocol, and time out procedures is fully coordinated; and have mastered the appropriate transfer to a cath recovery unit to better monitor and track complications, enhance physician-to-patient communication, patient family communication, discharge instructions and follow-up information.
Hospitals receiving Cardiac Cath Lab Accreditation from the ACC must 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; and monitoring for sustained success. Facilities that achieve 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 the efforts leading to improved patient outcomes.
“Our team has worked hard to achieve this accreditation by the ACC,” said Alex Kirby, MD, Interventional Cardiologist at CarolinaEast Medical Center. “We couldn’t be more pleased to be the first in North Carolina to be recognized for our dedication to patient safety and quality care.”
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 acc.org.
Submitted by: Megan McGarvey, Director, Public Relations, CarolinaEast Health System