ACC to Offer Transcatheter Valve Certification to Help Hospitals Implement Best Practices, Identify Quality Improvement Opportunities

Certificate pairs with established national clinical databases to monitor patient safety, real-world outcomes related to transcatheter valve replacement and repair procedures

NEW ORLEANS (March 13, 2019) — Beginning in mid-2019 hospitals performing transcatheter valve repair and replacement will be able to apply for the American College of Cardiology’s new Transcatheter Valve Certification. The certification was announced today at ACC Quality Summit in New Orleans.

The ACC’s Transcatheter Valve Certification is an external review and certification process that will assist hospitals in meeting standards for multidisciplinary teams, formalized training, shared decision-making and registry performance. Participation in established national clinical databases, such as the STS/ACC TVT Registry, is required for hospitals interested in achieving Transcatheter Valve Certification.

“ACC’s Transcatheter Valve Certification tool merges the latest science and process improvement methodologies,” said Phillip D. Levy, MD, FACC, chair of the ACC Accreditation Management Board. “This certification incorporates recent guidelines and expert consensus statements regarding the care of patients requiring transcatheter valve therapies.”

The certification uses established national clinical measures data to support clinical decisions and links process improvement to patient outcomes, ensuring that this certification is responsive to the resourcing at hospitals focused and committed to performance improvement in patient care delivery and coordination post-procedure. By connecting the data to opportunities for improvement, Transcatheter Valve Certification promotes consistent processes across the care continuum and better patient outcomes.

Hospitals that achieve Transcatheter Valve Certification will learn best practices for implementing evidence-based medicine to support decision-making in the care of individual patients and be able to track key performance metrics to better identify opportunities for improvement.

To learn more about Transcatheter Valve Certification and other accreditations available through ACC Accreditation Services, please visit Accreditation.ACC.org.

The American College of Cardiology envisions a world where innovation and knowledge optimize cardiovascular care and outcomes. As the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team, the mission of the College and its more than 52,000 members is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC bestows credentials upon cardiovascular professionals who meet stringent qualifications and leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College also provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research through its world-renowned JACC Journals, operates national registries to measure and improve care, and offers cardiovascular accreditation to hospitals and institutions. For more, visitacc.org.