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Beebe Healthcare Receives Recognition for the Care it Provides to Patients with Heart Failure

 

Beebe Healthcare has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® and the American Heart Association’s Advanced Certification in Heart Failure.

 

“Beebe Healthcare has thoroughly demonstrated a high level of care for patients who are being treated for heart failure,” said Wendi J. Roberts, RN, executive director, Certification Programs, The Joint Commission. “We commend Beebe for becoming a leader in heart failure care, potentially providing a higher standard of service for cardiac patients in its community.”

 

Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association, also congratulated Beebe.

“This certification reflects Beebe’s commitment to providing the highest quality of care for patients with heart failure.”

 

To earn the Advanced Certification in Heart Failure, Beebe underwent a rigorous on-site review in which a Joint Commission expert evaluated compliance with disease-specific care standards and with heart failure-specific requirements. The certification, awarded for a two-year period, also recognizes Beebe’s heart failure program for its collaborative relationship with its Cardiologists, and for using the latest scientific research developed to meet each patient’s needs.

 

“Earning the Advanced Certification in Heart Failure is an exciting and important achievement for Beebe Healthcare,” said Dr. Heather Raff, the medical director for Heart Failure. “Beebe Healthcare has put together an effective team that includes nursing, pharmacy, home care/population health and physicians that are providing top quality, evidence-based care for the heart failure patient. “

 

Beebe’s Heart Failure program, which is part of Beebe’s Cardiac and Vascular Services, provides patients with specialized care and education, both in and out of the hospital.

 

Lynn Toth RN MSN NP-C, Cardiac and Vascular Medical Specialist at Beebe, coordinates the management of the program through staff education and by providing videos and other educational tools to help the patient learn how to manage his or her heart failure. Patient education teaches the importance of lifestyle changes necessary for longevity and a quality driven life. Clinical care is facilitated through physician orders that support evidence-based care. Daily nursing rounds that include patient visits help patients understand the importance of restricting the amount of fluids they consume, of weighing themselves daily, and of avoiding salt. Optimization of care occurs through the measurement of data, which improves the team’s performance.

 

Advanced Certification in Heart Failure signifies that Beebe Healthcare delivers the best possible care available, not only while the patient is hospitalized, but also following discharge. Transition of care occurs as case managers and the heart failure team coordinates and communicates with Beebe Home Care Services and with Beebe’s Population Health Department. Post discharge care also includes a follow up with the cardiologist in seven days and phone calls by a Beebe nurse practitioner to those patients that decline home care services. Once patients are home, they receive telemedicine and physical therapy as needed. Also, patients at end of life can receive compassionate care and hospice services to support a comfortable journey at the closure of their life.

 

“This certification reflects the commitment of Beebe team members to providing advanced and compassionate care to our heart failure patients,” said Lynn Amey, RN-BC, BSN, MS, RVT, Executive Director of Cardiac and Vascular Services at Beebe. “It also reflects their commitment to keeping up with the latest information on how to continually improve care so that these patients can obtain their individual optimum quality of life.”

 

Beebe’s Cardiac and Vascular Services provide a comprehensive program that includes: open heart surgery and vascular surgery; nonsurgical cardiac and vascular procedures; cardiac and vascular testing; and Cardiac Rehab and the Dr. Dean Ornish Reversal Program.

 

In October 2015, Healthgrades recognized Beebe with a 5-Star rating for Treatment of Heart Failure. According to Healthgrades, a 5-star rating indicates that a hospital’s clinical outcomes are statistically significantly better than expected when treating the condition or performing the procedure being evaluated.

 

More than an estimated 5 million Americans suffer from heart failure, a condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to the body’s other organs. Each year, about 825,000 new cases are diagnosed and more than 275,000 people die of heart failure. Yet, many patients can lead a full life through a combination of medication and lifestyle changes.

 

The Joint Commission’s Advanced Certification in Heart Failure, established in 2010, was developed in collaboration with an external task force of experts and organizations with expertise in heart failure care, including representatives from the American Heart Association, Heart Failure Society of America and the American Association of Heart Failure Nurses. To be eligible, healthcare providers must have achieved at least a Bronze level of performance from the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure program and established a comprehensive heart failure-focused program staffed by qualified medical professionals. Beebe Healthcare has received the Heart Failure Gold Plus Quality Achievement award.

 

 

Beebe Healthcare is a not-for-profit community healthcare system with a charitable mission to encourage healthy living, prevent illness, and restore optimal health for the people residing, working, or visiting in the communities we serve. It offers services throughout Southern Delaware for residents and visitors, including a 210-licensed-bed hospital, a cancer center, and outpatient facilities providing walk-in care, lab, imaging, and physical rehabilitation services. For more information, please visit us online at Beebe Healthcare.

 

The Joint Commission

Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission accredits and certifies nearly 21,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. An independent, nonprofit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.

 

The American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – America’s No. 1 and No. 4 killers. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org or call any of our offices around the country. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

 

The familiar Heart-Check mark now helps consumers evaluate their choices in hospital care. Each mark given to a hospital is earned by meeting specific standards for the care of patients with heart disease and/or stroke. The Heart-Check mark can only be displayed by hospitals that have achieved and defined requirements set by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. For more information on the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Hospital Accreditation Program visit www.heart.org/myhospital.