The University of Kansas Health System is the first hospital in the nation to achieve Joint Commission Comprehensive Cardiac Center (CCC) Certification.   

            To achieve the certification, a hospital must demonstrate a combination of compliance with consensus-based standards, evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for cardiac care, and performance measurement and improvement requirements. CCC-certified hospitals must also achieve and/or maintain required Joint Commission Disease-Specific Care requirements, as well as additional CCC Certification-specific requirements.

“Congratulations to the University of Kansas Health System for being the first hospital in the country to achieve Joint Commission Comprehensive Cardiac Center Certification,” said Patrick Phelan, executive director, Hospital Business Development, The Joint Commission. “Its leadership in pursuing this certification is a demonstration of its desire to reduce unwanted variations in how cardiac care is provided to patients across the spectrum from the emergency department through follow-up outpatient care.”

Bob Page, president and CEO, The University of Kansas Health System said, “We are humbled and proud to be the first hospital in the nation to achieve this certification by The Joint Commission. It is a testament to the great care provided by our cardiovascular team each and every day. It also serves as another milestone in our quest to lead the nation in caring, healing, teaching and discovering.”

The Joint Commission certification program was developed with input from a technical advisory panel of clinicians with specific expertise in comprehensive cardiac care. Joint Commission-accredited hospitals that apply for the optional certification program must meet these minimum requirements:

• Management of ischemic heart disease, acute myocardial infarction, percutaneous coronary interventions, coronary bypass graft surgery, cardiac valve disease, dysrhythmias, heart failure and cardiac arrest.

• Cardiac rehabilitation of patients either onsite or by referral.

• Standardized communication channels for hand-offs.

• Properly trained staff to treat and care for individuals with cardiac disease.

• Cardiovascular risk factor identification and cardiac disease prevention.

• Use of a nationally audited registry or similar data collection tool to monitor data and measure outcomes for specified conditions and procedures.

Designed for hospitals offering the highest level of care and the most comprehensive range of services for cardiac patients, the new certification builds upon The Joint Commission’s existing cardiovascular certification programs. It was designed with the aim of helping organizations establish the structures, processes and culture necessary to achieve sustained levels of effective clinical performance and patient outcomes across cardiac specialties and the continuum of care from the time a patient arrives in the emergency department through their outpatient follow-up care.

To learn more about Joint Commission Comprehensive Cardiac Center Certification, visit The Joint Commission website here.