Commonwealth Health HVI at Regional Hospital Earns Cardiac Distinction

1/24/2019

SCRANTON, Pa. (Jan. 24, 2019) – The Commonwealth Health Heart & Vascular Institute at Regional Hospital of Scranton has achieved The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Comprehensive Cardiac Center (CCC) certification. The hospital is the fifth in the United States and the only Pennsylvania facility to earn this distinction.

Regional Hospital’s center earned the certification by providing timely and quality care, a critical component when treating cardiovascular conditions. The certification, awarded for a two-year period, demonstrates Regional Hospital’s commitment to excellence in cardiac care.

To receive this certification, Regional Hospital underwent a rigorous onsite review at which time Joint Commission experts evaluated compliance with key CCC Certification requirements, including:

• Management of ischemic heart disease, acute myocardial infarction, percutaneous coronary interventions, coronary bypass graft surgery, cardiac valve disease, dysrhythmias, heart failure and cardiac arrest
• Cardiac rehabilitation of patients either onsite or by referral
• Standardized communication channels for hand-offs
• Properly trained staff to treat and care for individuals with cardiac disease
• Cardiovascular risk factor identification and cardiac disease prevention
• A minimum of 10 patients at the comprehensive cardiac center during the time of the onsite review by The Joint Commission
• Use of a nationally audited registry or similar data collection tool to monitor data and measure outcomes for specified conditions and procedures

“It took an incredible amount of dedication and time for our staff to prepare to receive this certification from The Joint Commission, the premier health care quality improvement and accrediting body in the nation, Ron Ziobro, interim CEO of Commonwealth Health Regional Hospital of Scranton, said. “This truly demonstrates our commitment to improving patient outcomes for our cardiac care patients.”

In addition, compliance with Joint Commission standards developed with input from health care professionals, providers, subject matter experts, consumers, government agencies and employers were evaluated, as well as the implementation of performance measures or measures that meet criteria to improve patient safety and quality of care. Achievement and/or maintenance of Joint Commission Advanced Disease-Specific Care Certification requirements also were assessed.

“We applaud (name of organization) for achieving this rigorous certification in an effort to improve patient safety and quality of care for cardiac care patients,” said Patrick Phelan, executive director, Hospital Business Development, The Joint Commission. “Achieving certification demonstrates they have proven compliance with high standards that support delivery of integrated, coordinated and patient-centered cardiac care and communications to support transitions from the emergency department to diagnosis, treatment and follow-up through outpatient care services.”