Internationally-recognized heart hospital is first in nation for percutaneous vascular intervention, first in Wisconsin to receive accolades for coronary intervention
Milwaukee, Wis. – Building on its rich history as the premier heart hospital in Wisconsin and a global destination for heart care, Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center’s today received two prestigious accolades from the Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence.
Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center is the first hospital in the nation to be recognized for percutaneous vascular intervention (PVI), and also the first health care facility in Wisconsin to be accredited for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Percutaneous coronary intervention, also sometimes known as angioplasty with stent, is a non-surgical procedure that uses a catheter to open up blood vessels in the heart that have been narrowed by plaque buildup.
Both acknowledgments from Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence (ACE), an organization dedicated to ensuring adherence to the highest quality standards for cardiovascular and endovascular care, reinforce Aurora St. Luke’s positioning as a global leader in cardiovascular excellence.
“The heart and vascular team at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center is honored to receive the highest possible endorsement from Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence,” said Dr. Suhail Allaqaband, medical director of the catheter laboratory at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center, who oversaw the accreditation process. “Our team of expert cardiovascular physicians, nurses, and other staff members work tirelessly to provide the best in heart health care for patients, and it’s rewarding to be recognized as one of the nation’s best heart and vascular programs.”
ACE accreditation encompasses a professional review of an organization’s structure, internal processes, patient safety practices, and clinical outcomes to determine if it meets the standards established by experts in cardiac and endovascular care.
The evaluation process involves an in-depth, independent review of personnel, quality-assurance processes, facility equipment and outcomes information. All data collected is measured against nationally-accepted standards for the highest-quality cardiovascular care.
“We congratulate Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center for seeking and obtaining both ACE percutaneous coronary and vascular intervention accreditations,” said Bonnie Weiner, chief medical officer with ACE. “By submitting to a rigorous, independent evaluation, this facility has shown an uncompromising commitment to provide safe, high-quality care for patients in need of the best in cardiovascular care.”
ACE is committed to helping facilities that deliver interventional cardiovascular care to provide gold standard healthcare by measuring the facility’s practices, personnel, processes and outcomes against nationally-accepted best-practice standards. Implemented to supplement existing quality-improvement programs, the ACE outcomes-based accreditation promotes uniform benchmarks, and improves appropriate utilization via an independent, third-party evaluation of facilities and practices.
Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center’s heart and vascular team is a global leader in heart health innovation and care. Among the heart team’s milestones:
- The nation’s first and Wisconsin’s only 24/7/365 STEMI program, where interventional cardiologists and their team are always on site at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center to provide immediate treatment for patients having a heart attack.
- The first health care system in world to use new 4D cardiovascular ultrasound technology from GE Healthcare, helping to see the heart like never before.
- The largest and most experienced Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) program in Wisconsin, performing more than 750 cases with a 100 percent implementation rate.
- A leader in Ventricular Assistant Devices (VAD)s installation in patients with Advanced Heart Failure, having installed more than 700 VADs in the past four years.
- The first health care system in Wisconsin to implant the CardioMEMS advanced heart failure monitoring system, helping patients live independently while better managing advance heart failure symptoms.
- The first hospital in Wisconsin to participate in the clinical trial for the recently FDA approved bio absorbable stent.
- The first health care system in Wisconsin to implant the Watchman device, a device designed to reduce stroke risks for patients with atrial fibrillation.
- The first health care system in Wisconsin to implant a minimally-invasive leadless pacemaker, offering faster recovery time for patients.
- The first heart transplant in Wisconsin in 1968, and since 1982, more than 800 total transplants, more than any other health care system in the state.
Aurora Health Care is a not-for-profit Wisconsin-area health care provider and a national leader in efforts to improve health care quality. Aurora offers services at sites in more than 90 communities throughout eastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Aurora is Wisconsin’s most comprehensive health care provider and the state’s largest private employer. Aurora serves more than 1.2 million patients every year via a comprehensive network of facilities, services and providers, including 15 hospitals, 159 clinics, 70 pharmacies and more than 30,000 amazing Caregivers. As evidenced by more than 400 active clinical trials, Aurora is dedicated to delivering innovations to provide the best possible care today, and to define the best care for tomorrow. Get helpful health and wellness information via the Aurora MyHealth blog, our Facebook page, our Twitter account and our Pinterest account.