Irving, Texas. December 27, 2012 –

Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas and Baylor Jack and Jane Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital received full Heart Failure Accreditation status from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC) on November 30, 2012. 

“At Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, we strive to provide quality and patient-centered care in everything we do,” says John McWhorter, president, Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas. “Receiving heart failure accreditation reaffirms our commitment to improving patient outcomes through evidence-based care processes while continuing to provide safe, quality, compassionate care.”

“Our approach to patient care encourages our team of clinicians, physicians, and hospital leaders to work together for the good of our patients,” says Nancy Vish, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, President and CNO, Baylor Jack and Jane Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital. “Earning the heart failure accreditation adds validation to our efforts.”

Heart failure is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Approximately five million patients in the United States have heart failure. In addition, heart failure patients are responsible for 12 to 15 million physician office visits per year and 6.5 million hospital days. SCPC’s goal is to help facilities manage the heart failure patient more efficiently and improve patient outcomes.

Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas as well as Baylor Jack and Jane Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital, both on the Baylor Dallas campus, have demonstrated their expertise and commitment to quality patient care by meeting or exceeding a wide set of stringent criteria and undergoing an onsite review by a team of SCPC’s accreditation review specialists. Both of these facilities’ protocol-driven and systematic approach to patient management allows physicians to reduce time to treatment and to risk stratify patients to decrease their length of stay.

Key areas in which a facility with Heart Failure Accreditation must demonstrate expertise include the following:

• Emergency Department Integration with Emergency Medical Services
• Emergency Assessment of Patients with Symptoms of Acute Decompensated Heart Failure-Diagnosis
• Risk Stratification of the Heart Failure Patient
• Treatment for Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department in Heart Failure
• Heart Failure Discharge Criteria from the Emergency Department, Observation Stay or Inpatient Stay
• Heart Failure Patient Education in the Emergency Department, Observation and Inpatient Unit
• Personnel, Competencies and Training
• Process Improvement
• Organizational Structure and Commitment
• Heart Failure Community Outreach