Lawrence General Hospital Accredited for Excellence in Heart Failure Care

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) has recognized Lawrence General Hospital for its demonstrated expertise and commitment in treating patients with heart failure. Lawrence General was awarded Heart Failure Accreditation in June based on rigorous onsite review of the staff’s ability to evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients with heart failure through pre-hospital care, early stabilization, acute care, transitional care, clinical quality measures, and more.

Heart failure is a condition where the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs for blood and oxygen.

Hospitals that employ an evidence-based, protocol-driven, and systematic approach to managing heart failure have been able to reduce time to treatment, and are able to identify and predict high-risk patients while also reducing length-of-stay and hospital readmissions.

“Lawrence General Hospital’s Cardiovascular Center offers a spectrum of services to help patients survive and thrive after a heart attack, and to manage coronary artery disease and the vascular disease that often goes along with it,” says Kathy Caredeo, RN, director of Cardiovascular Services. “Along with our other accreditations, this is more confirmation that heart patients can receive high quality care here close to home. There’s typically no reason to endure the inconvenience of travel to Boston.”

“ACC Accreditation Services is proud to bestow Heart Failure Accreditation on Lawrence General,” said Abraham Joseph, vice president of ACC Accreditation Services. “We commend Lawrence General for its demonstrated leadership and commitment to providing the Merrimack Valley with excellent care of heart failure patients.”

Hospitals receiving Heart Failure Accreditation from the ACC must take part in a multi-faceted clinical process that involves: completing a gap analysis; examining variances of care, developing an action plan; a rigorous onsite review; and monitoring for sustained success. Improved methods and strategies of caring for patients include streamlining processes, implementing of guidelines and standards, and adopting best practices in the precise care of heart failure patients. Facilities that achieve accreditation meet or exceed an array of stringent criteria and have organized a team of doctors, nurses, clinicians, and other administrative staff that earnestly support the efforts leading to better patient education, improved patient outcomes, and more effective and efficient disease control.

The Lawrence General Cardiovascular Center is the only accredited Chest Pain Center in the Merrimack Valley and the only hospital in New England accredited for excellence in cardiac catheterization and coronary intervention by Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence (ACE)  for ensuring the highest quality standards for cardiovascular and endovascular care. In addition, our Cardiovascular Center is clinically affiliated with the Cardio Vascular Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, providing our patients with the clinical expertise of Beth Israel Deaconess cardiologists and cardiac surgeons when needed.

The ACC and American Heart Association are collaborating to offer US hospitals like Lawrence General access to a comprehensive suite of co-branded cardiac accreditation services designed to optimize patient outcomes and improve hospital financial performance. These services are focused on all aspects of cardiac care, including heart failure.