The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association are combining their cardiac certification programs to improve care and outcomes for cardiovascular disease patients, and will offer a single joint product for hospitals beginning Jan. 1.
The certification program combines the AHA's Cardiovascular Center of Excellence accreditation and cardiovascular science, research and quality improvement expertise with the Joint Commission's existing Comprehensive Cardiac Center Certification and experience working with healthcare organizations to assess care delivery.
The joint cardiac certification award will be granted to hospitals that achieve rigorous standards of care.
"Hospitals will be required to deliver integrated, coordinated and patient-centered cardiac care and communications, from the emergency department visit to diagnosis, treatment and follow-up and through outpatient care," the Joint Commission said.
Organizations seeking more information can contact accreditation@heart.org or certification@jointcommission.org.