Los Angeles-based Smidt Heart Institute's Guerin Family Congenital Heart Program became the sixth program in California and one of 50 in the U.S. to earn the highest accreditation from the Adult Congenital Heart Association.
Many congenital heart care programs are aimed at pediatric patients, but Smidt Heart's program treats complex cases in patients of all ages, according to a May 15 hospital news release. Pediatric cardiologists work alongside adult congenital cardiologists to transition patient care as they age.
"The continuum of care we offer to our patients is unmatched," Rose Tompkins, MD, associate director of the Adult Congenital Heart Program, said in the release. "Patients with congenital heart disease receive care from the same providers throughout their lives, never aging out of the health system like they would at a children's hospital."
The accreditation requires specialized expertise among cardiologists, advanced training, rigorous standards for outpatient and inpatient care, access to specialized medical services and procedures, as well as high-risk pregnancy care and a heart transplantation program.
The program recently expanded and now offers services in an outpatient setting at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center, the release said.