The University of Iowa Heart and Vascular Center at UI Hospitals and Clinics has received national certification for its Ventricular Assist Device Program to treat patients with advanced heart failure.
The program received Disease-Specific Care Certification from the Joint Commission, the accreditation and certification agency for more than 17,000 health care organizations in the United States.
To earn the two-year certification the program underwent an extensive on-site evaluation by a team of Joint Commission reviewers. The program is evaluated against Joint Commission standards by assessing a program's:
- Processes
- Ability to evaluate and improve care within its own organization,
as well as interviews with patients and staff.
A ventricular assist device is a mechanical blood pump that takes over the function of a heart ventricle. The device typically is used to treat patients with advanced heart failure who are critically ill and waiting for a heart transplant. More recently, this therapy has been shown to effectively prolong life and improve the quality of life for patients who are ineligible for transplant.
The Ventricular Assist Device Program at the UI Heart and Vascular Center is the only one in Iowa that offers this type of therapy. The program is led by Frances Johnson, MD, UI clinical associate professor of internal medicine, and includes experts in cardiovascular medicine and cardiothoracic surgery.
"Heart failure is a serious condition experienced by more people each year. Transplantation is an option for only a small proportion of them," Johnson said. "Disease-specific certification in the surgery and aftercare of patients with ventricular assist devices gives a wide range of Iowans with advanced heart failure access to this rapidly developing technology. We're proud to achieve this distinction."
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