Porter Regional Hospital is the First Hospital in Northern Indiana and Second in State to be Awarded Advanced Certification in Heart Failure from The Joint Commission

Heart-Failure-Team-2013The Joint Commission, in conjunction with The American Heart Association, recently recognized Porter Regional Hospital with Advanced Certification in Heart Failure. Achievement of this certification signifies an organization’s dedication to fostering better outcomes for patients in its heart failure program. Porter Regional Hospital’s Advanced Certification in Heart Failure has demonstrated that their services have met critical elements of performance to achieve long-term success in improving outcomes for patients diagnosed with and being treated for heart failure.

Porter Regional Hospital underwent a rigorous on-site review in September 2013. A Joint Commission expert evaluated Porter Regional Hospital’s compliance with the requirements for The Joint Commission’s Disease-Specific Care Certification program as well as heart failure-specific requirements, such as collecting Joint Commission core measure data and using it for performance improvement activities.

"In achieving Joint Commission advanced certification, Porter Regional Hospital has demonstrated its commitment to the highest level of care for its patients with heart failure,” says Jean Range, M.S., R.N., C.P.H.Q. executive director, Disease-Specific Care Certification, The Joint Commission. “Certification is a voluntary process and The Joint Commission commends Porter Regional Hospital for successfully undertaking this challenge to elevate its standard of care and instill confidence in the community it serves.

The Joint Commission’s Advanced Certification in Heart Failure Program, launched in 2011, 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, Heart Failure Society of America and American Association of Heart Failure Nurses. These groups also provided feedback on how to evaluate heart failure programs that provide care in both inpatient and post-acute care settings.

Porter Regional Hospital is thoroughly committed to providing our patients the highest quality heart failure care centered on current scientific research to ensure continued improvement in treatment,” said Porter Health Care System CEO Jonathan Nalli. “In addition to The Joint Commission accreditation, the Advanced Certification in Heart Failure has given us the opportunity to highlight the exceptional heart failure care we provide for our patients, and help us improve care overall for our community.

Porter Regional Hospital will be able to display The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® and the American Heart Association Heart-Check mark for Advanced Certification in Heart Failure. Displaying the seal and Heart-Check mark signifies that Porter Regional Hospital is providing the “next generation of stroke or heart failure care,” and will help patients easily identify this facility as one of quality that has surpassed numerous goals in the treatment of heart failure.

For more information on The Joint Commission and American Heart Association’s Advanced Certification in Heart Failure visit http://www.jointcommission.org/ or www.heart.org/myhospital. Learn more about Porter's Heart Failure Center here.

Pictured left to right are (front row): Jamie Jackson, RN; Terri Gingerich, Cardiovascular Service Line Director; (back row) Laura Covault, LPN; Terri Pugh, RN; Mark Kime, Director of Cardiology; Dr. Michael Wheat, Patty Neely, RN; and Dawn Nelson, NP. (Not pictured: Dr. Daniel Linert.)