SCAI Forms Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence

May 6, 2010—The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) has announced the creation of the Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence (ACE) organization to promote and uphold high-quality patient care and improve patient safety in facilities where invasive cardiac and endovascular procedures are performed.

According to SCAI, ACE will advance excellence by providing an accrediting mechanism based on scientific evidence in peer-reviewed medical literature and professionally determined quality metrics to ensure that the processes and outcomes of cardiovascular procedures are consistent with predetermined benchmarks. ACE will also make tools and quality improvement guidance available to organizations seeking or having achieved provisional accreditation in order to support ongoing quality improvement and optimal patient care.

The organization will first focus on providing accreditation to hospitals that perform carotid artery stenting procedures, with subsequent expansion to other cardiovascular procedures including percutaneous coronary interventions, other endovascular procedures, and structural heart disease interventions.

ACE will begin accrediting carotid artery stenting facilities this summer. Facilities must apply for accreditation, submit data, and be visited by review teams to complete the process. Part of the accreditation process will include validation of self-reported data, the appropriate use of existing guidelines, and knowledge of changing best practices. Accreditation will last for a 2-year period, after which, a review of the facility will be required for continued ACE recognition. More information can be found online at www.cvexcel.org.

“Our primary goal for ACE is to increase the consistency of superior patient care in cardiovascular procedures throughout the United States,” commented Bonnie Weiner, MD, president of ACE and past president of SCAI. “When patients are treated at a cardiovascular center that is ACE accredited, they should feel confident that the facility has taken the appropriate, evidence-based steps to help ensure the best care for each individual patient.”