Catawba Valley Medical Center (CVMC) announced today that it has received
full Heart Failure Accreditation status from the Society of Cardiovascular
Patient Care (SCPC). Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to
adequately send blood to organs and muscles throughout the body. It is
a leading cause of hospital admissions among people age 65 and older in
the United States.
“Attaining SCPC Heart Failure Accreditation is significant because
it demonstrates CVMC’s commitment to more effectively and efficiently
offer treatment for heart failure patients early, rather than waiting
until problems have already developed,” said Heart Failure Specialist,
Sara Paul, DNP FNP, of
Catawba Valley Cardiology. “Our approach to heart failure patient care includes up-to-date
monitoring technology and coordinated care designed to prevent hospital
readmissions and improve patient outcomes.” This special accreditation
from the SCPC means that CVMC has developed programs and systems to give
the best care to patients who have heart failure, not only in the hospital,
but also in the pre-hospital care and in follow-up care after discharge.
It is a status that shows CVMC has worked to be better than other hospitals
that do not have this accreditation. This is the second SCPC accreditation
that CVMC has received. It has also received accreditation as a chest
pain center for the management of patients who have coronary heart disease.
CVMC has shown expertise and commitment to quality patient care by meeting
or exceeding a long list of criteria and undergoing a thorough review
visit by a team of SCPC’s accreditation specialists. Hospitals that
receive SCPC’s Heart Failure Accreditation status employ an evidence-based,
protocol-driven and systematic approach to patient management. This allows
clinicians to reduce the time it takes to start treatment while also reducing
length of hospital stay.
In March, CVMC became the first hospital in the region to offer a new wireless
heart failure technology — the
CardioMEMS Heart Failure System. This system allows patients to send critical information about their
heart failure condition to a nurse on a regular basis, which also decreases
the need for additional clinic or hospital visits.
ABOUT CATAWBA VALLEY MEDICAL CENTER – Catawba Valley Medical Center
(CVMC) in Hickory, NC, is the region’s largest not-for-profit, public
healthcare system serving the community without direct funding from taxes.
CVMC provides and promotes physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being
in addition to serving as a center for health education, wellness, preventive
medicine and acute care. CVMC received a fourth consecutive Magnet designation
from the American Nurses Credentialing Center in 2014 and has been recognized
by WomenCertified®with Women’s Choice Awards for America’s Best 100 Hospitals
for Patient Experience in 2012, 2013, 2014 & 2015; America’s
Best Hospitals for Patient Experience in Obstetrics in 2013, 2014, 2015
& 2016; America’s Best Hospitals in Orthopedics in 2013 &
2014; America’s Best Hospitals in Cancer Care in 2015; and America’s
Best Hospitals in Stroke, Bariatric Surgery and Stroke in 2016. CVMC received
the 2013 & 2014 Premier Inc. QUEST® Award for High-Value Healthcare recognizing its reduction in harm, mortality,
readmissions and costs and improvements in metrics for patient experience
and evidence-based care.
About the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care – The Society of
Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC) is an international nonprofit organization
that focuses on transforming cardiovascular care by assisting facilities
in their effort to create
cardiovascular centers of excellence that deliver quality, cost and patient satisfaction. As the only cross-specialty
organization, SCPC provides the support needed for individual hospitals
and hospital systems to effectively reduce variations of care and bridge
existing gaps in treatment by providing the tools, education and support
necessary to improve patient outcomes. For more information on SCPC’s
accreditation and certification opportunities, visit
http://www.scpc.org.