Methodist Heart Attack Program Awarded Certification from the Joint Commission

3/28/2007

Methodist Medical Center’s Heart Attack program has earned the Gold Seal of Approval™ for health care quality. The Joint Commission awarded Methodist Disease-Specific Care Certification for acute myocardial infarction (Heart Attack).

To earn this distinction, a disease management program undergoes an extensive, unannounced, on-site evaluation by a team of Joint Commission reviewers every two years. The program is evaluated against Joint Commission standards through an assessment of a program’s processes, the program’s ability to evaluate and improve care within its own organization, and interviews with patients and staff.

"This certification means Methodist does the right things and does them well for heart attack patients," says Jean E. Range, M.S., R.N., C.P.H.Q., Executive Director, Disease-Specific Care Certification, Joint Commission. Dr. Igor Singer, FRACP, FACP, FACC, FACA, Executive Medical Director for Methodist Cardiovascular Services said, "This certification covers such quality issues as the amount of time it takes to open the blocked artery, which is the cause of the heart attack, after arrival at the hospital. This timing, along with other quality issues, is critical to the patient’s survival and prognosis."

Methodist becomes one of only three hospitals in the State of Illinois to receive the certification.

"Methodist voluntarily pursued this comprehensive, independent evaluation to enhance the safety and quality of care we provide," says Dr. Igor Singer. "This required a team effort, and included interventional cardiologists, emergency room staff, cardiac nursing staff and others. We’re proud to achieve this distinction, another in a string of successes of our cardiovascular program at Methodist Heart, Lung and Vascular Institute."

Methodist received Joint Commission certification in heart failure care in 2005.

The Joint Commission launched its Disease-Specific Care Certification program in precision and efficiency in 2002. It is the first program of its kind in the country to certify disease management programs. A list of programs certified by the Joint Commission is available at http://www.jointcommission.org/.

The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits nearly 15,000 healthcare organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 8,000 hospitals and home care organizations and more than 6800 other health care organizations that provide long term care, assisted living, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services.