St. Mary's recognized for excellence with ACC Heart Failure Accreditation

SMMC provides necessary care, resources to heart failure patients

St. Mary’s Medical Center (SMMC), a member of Marshall Health Network, is the first facility in West Virginia to earn Heart Failure Accreditation from American College of Cardiology (ACC) Accreditation Services.

SMMC was awarded Heart Failure Accreditation in June based on rigorous onsite review of the staff’s ability to evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients with heart failure through pre-hospital care, early stabilization, acute care, transitional care, clinical quality measures and more.

Heart failure is a chronic and progressive condition where the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs for blood and oxygen. Hospitals that employ an evidence-based, protocol-driven, and systematic approach to managing heart failure have been able to reduce time to treatment and are able to identify and predict high-risk patients while also reducing length-of-stay and hospital readmissions.

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) has recognized SMMC for its demonstrated expertise and commitment in treating patients with heart failure.

“St. Mary’s Medical Center has demonstrated its commitment to providing the Tri-State region with excellent heart care,” said Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH, FACC, chair of the ACC Accreditation Management Board. “ACC Accreditation Services is proud to award St. Mary’s with Heart Failure Accreditation.”

Hospitals receiving Heart Failure Accreditation from the ACC must take part in a multi-faceted clinical process that involves completing a gap analysis, examining variances of care, developing an action plan, a rigorous onsite review, and monitoring for sustained success.

In addition, they must meet or exceed an array of stringent criteria and have organized a team of doctors, nurses, clinicians, and other administrative staff that earnestly support the efforts leading to better patient education, improved patient outcomes, and more effective and efficient disease control.

“Congratulations to St. Mary’s Medical Center on officially earning the ACC Heart Failure Accreditation,” said Melissa Mielcarek, MSHA, MBA, FACHE, Executive Director St. Mary’s Regional Heart Institute. “Our team has clearly worked very hard to achieve this important designation.”

The ACC offers U.S. and international hospitals like SMMC access to a comprehensive suite of cardiac accreditation services designed to optimize patient outcomes and improve hospital financial performance. These services are focused on all aspects of cardiac care, including heart failure.

To learn more about St. Mary’s Regional Heart Institute, visit www.st-marys.org/heart.