Pulmonary Hypertension Association Accredits Eleven New PH Care Centers, Including First Pediatric Program
Silver Spring, Md. (PRWEB) January 26, 2015 -- The Pulmonary Hypertension Association has accredited eleven new Pulmonary Hypertension Care Centers (PHCC), bringing the total number of PHCCs to 17, in a program that seeks to improve overall quality of care and ultimately improve outcomes of patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH), specifically pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) – a rare and debilitating disease of the lungs that affects the functioning of the heart and can lead to right heart failure. Without treatment, mean survivability is only 2.8 years.
Despite medical advances, the median time from onset of symptoms to PAH diagnosis is still 1.1 years, and many patients will see three or more different physicians over this period before they are properly diagnosed. Despite the availability and success of PH-targeted therapeutic options over the past twenty years, shortcomings continue to exist with the diagnosis and management of PAH. Even with the availability and success of PH-targeted therapies, long-term health outcomes are not optimal as many patients are hospitalized due to PH complications, require transplantation if therapies do not work, or do not survive.
“We continue to be impressed by the programs applying for accreditation,” said Dr. Murali Chakinala, from the Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine and member of the PHCC Oversight Committee. “Patients entering these centers can feel confident that the PHCCs have been vetted by a rigorous process that includes a detailed application and a comprehensive site visit with ultimate adjudication by a Committee of more than 20 health professionals with vast experience in caring for PH patients.”
PHA’s Scientific Leadership Council and the PHCC Oversight Committee set demanding parameters for PHCC accreditation. PHCC accreditation signifies that a PH program has demonstrated a dedication to making a proper diagnosis and has the capacity to appropriately and comprehensively manage PH patients through a set of criteria established by the PHA Scientific Leadership Council – 28 global leaders in the field of pulmonary hypertension. The criteria have also been developed with input from many PH stakeholders including physicians, allied health care professionals, patients and PHA leadership and are considered essential to delivering high-quality care for these complex patients.
There are two types of accreditation: Centers of Comprehensive Care (CCC) and Regional Clinical Programs (RCP). Interested centers can now apply online through the PH Care Centers Site Application Portal.
The eleven newly accredited PHCCs are:
1) Arizona Pulmonary Specialists, LTD – St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, Ariz.
2) Adult Pulmonary Hypertension Comprehensive Care Center at Columbia University Medical Center – New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, N.Y.
3) Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension Comprehensive Care Center at Columbia University Medical Center – New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, N.Y.
4) Mayo Clinic Pulmonary Hypertension Program, Rochester, Minn.
5) Rhode Island Hospital Pulmonary Hypertension Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Brown University School of Medicine, Providence, R.I.
6) Pulmonary Hypertension Program – University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus School of Medicine and University of Colorado Hospital, Denver, Colo.
7) University of Michigan Pulmonary Hypertension Program, Ann Arbor, Mich.
8) University of Texas Southwestern Pulmonary Hypertension Program, Dallas, Texas
9) Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, Richmond, Va.
10) Washington University & Barnes-Jewish Hospital Pulmonary Hypertension Program, St. Louis, Mo.
11) Weill Cornell Medical Center – New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, N.Y.
A PH patient registry is being developed and accredited PH Care Centers will contribute to it, tracking diagnostic and treatment patterns at a national level, ultimately demonstrating quality improvement for the care of PH patients.
“The PH patient registry will provide important data on the care and outcomes of patients with pulmonary hypertension across the country,” said Dr. Steven Kawut of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. “We can then begin to understand best practices in the treatment of PH and continue to improve the quality of life and survival of individuals with this disease.”
Linking PHCCs through a national network will increase collaboration in the PH community, through clinical, quality improvement and investigative partnerships.
For more information on PHCC, go to: http://www.PHCareCenters.org or email PHCC(at)PHAssociation(dot)org.
About the Pulmonary Hypertension Association
Headquartered in Silver Spring, Md., the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) is the country's leading pulmonary hypertension organization. Its mission is to find ways to prevent and cure pulmonary hypertension and provide hope for the community through support, education, research, advocacy and awareness. PHA does this by connecting and working together with the entire PH community of patients, families and medical professionals. Among its programs, PHA facilitates more than 245 support groups around the country and delivers continuing education for medical professionals through PHA Online University.
Renee Hockaday, Pulmonary Hypertension Association, http://www.PHAssociation.org, +1 240-485-0774, [email protected]
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