Florida Hospital Tampa Earns Advanced Certification for Heart Failure and Primary Stroke Center Certification from The Joint Commission
Tampa, Florida (PRWEB) October 08, 2013 -- Florida Hospital Tampa has earned advanced certification for heart failure and primary stroke center designation from The Joint Commission, in conjunction with the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association, by demonstrating compliance with the Joint Commission’s national standards for quality care and safety in disease-specific care. The certification award recognizes Florida Hospital Tampa’s dedication to continuous compliance with the Joint Commission’s state-of-the-art standards. Florida Hospital Tampa earned these two distinctions after the Joint Commission, conducted an on-site review in July of 2013.
"In achieving Joint Commission advanced certification, Florida Hospital Tampa has demonstrated its commitment to the highest level of care for its patients. Certification is a voluntary process and I commend Florida Hospital Tampa for successfully undertaking this challenge to elevate its standard of care and instill confidence in the community it serves," said Jean Range, M.S., R.N., C.P.H.Q. Executive Director, Disease-Specific Care Certification, the Joint Commission. Florida Hospital Tampa is one of only five hospitals in the state of Florida to receive this advanced heart failure certification, through the efforts of the renowned Florida Hospital Pepin Heart Institute. The primary stroke center certification compliments Florida Hospital Tampa’s comprehensive stroke center designation from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) in August of 2012. "Heart disease and stroke represent the #1 and #4 causes of death in the U.S., so achieving Joint Commission certification in our heart failure and stroke programs is a major step toward continually raising the bar for the care we provide to our community," said John Harding, President and CEO of Florida Hospital Tampa. "Joint Commission certification helps to affirm our expertise in heart and stroke care, as well as the state-of-the-art, advanced level of care our patients can expect at Florida Hospital Tampa."
The Joint Commission’s Advanced Certification in Heart Failure Program is designed to target methods of providing safe, successful transitions of care as the patient moves from the inpatient setting to an outpatient setting. The heart failure requirements were developed in consultation with an external task force of experts and organizations with expertise in heart failure care, including representatives from the American Heart Association. In order for a heart failure program to receive advanced certification, it must comply with the Joint Commission’s standards for disease-specific care and must include either a hospital-based and hospital-owned outpatient heart failure clinic or have a collaborative relationship with one of more attending cardiology practices. Advanced certification also requires that a program collect data on the four Joint Commission core measures for heart failure and use this information for ongoing performance improvement efforts.
The Joint Commission’s Primary Stroke Center Certification program was developed in collaboration with the American Stroke Association. It is based on the Brain Attack Coalition’s "Recommendations for the Establishment of Primary Stroke Centers." Achievement of certification signifies that the services Florida Hospital Tampa provides meet critical elements to achieve long-term success in improving outcomes. The Florida Hospital Tampa Stroke Program already carries the designation as a Comprehensive Stroke Center by AHCA, and this certification by the Joint Commission further solidifies Florida Hospital Tampa’s excellence and expertise in stroke care. The Joint Commission’s Disease-Specific Care Certification Program launched in 2002. It is designed to evaluate clinical programs across the continuum of care. Certification requirements address three core areas: compliance with consensus-based national standards; effective use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines to manage and optimize care; and an organized approach to performance measurement and improvement activities.
Jennifer McVan, Florida Hospital Tampa, http://www.fhtampa.org, +1 (813) 615-7395, [email protected]
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