Perspectives on ACE
REACCREDITATION
The Healthcare Executive’s View
Interview with Johnna Reed, RN, BSN
In February 2014, Bon Secours St. Francis
Health System in Greenville, South Carolina,
was the first hospital to receive reaccreditation for its cardiac catheterization laboratory
program from the Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence (ACE). ACE accreditation
is a strategic, long-term approach to quality
improvement based on comparing a facility’s
internal quality data against national metrics
and best practices as defined by experts in
the field of interventional cardiology.
from inside the cath lab. In the current article, Johnna Reed, RN, BSN, Vice President of
Business Development, Heart and Vascular
Services, provides her viewpoint on the ACE
reaccreditation process with Bon Secours St.
Francis Health System. The first article in the
series explored the ACE reaccreditation process from the interventional cardiologist’s
perspective. The third article will describe
the ACE review process from the perspective
of the cath lab director.
Q. Why did Bon Secours St. Francis Health
System decide to pursue ACE reaccreditation?
Ms. Reed: After going through initial accredThe Bon Secours St. Francis Health System
itation in 2011, we recognized that the ACE
was also the first hospital to be nationally
external review process was an effective
recognized with ACE accreditation in 2011.
tool that helped us validate the value we are
Programs that achieve full accreditation are
bringing to our community. We all want to
recognized by ACE for two years, at which
believe we do good work and provide qualitime their facility must be reviewed again for
ty care, but how do we know? There is no
continued recognition. To achieve ACE reacshortage of benchmarks in cardiovascular
creditation, the physicians and staff at Bon
medicine, but how do we measure ourselves
Secours St. Francis Health System worked
against those metrics? Having an organizahand-in-hand with ACE’s external quality
tion like ACE come in and dissect what we
reviewers to implement appropriate use criare doing on a day-toteria (AUC), standardize the documentation
The ACE reviewers… day basis provides an in
-depth validation that
and reporting of AUC
want to know how we lets us know we are
data, validate adherheaded in the right
ence to current clinical
are delivering on pa- direction. When we
practice guidelines,
became eligible for
and engage all cath lab tient outcomes. Are we
reaccreditation, there
team members in the
meeting the national stand- was no question that
quality-improvement
we would invite ACE to
process.
ards of care in CV medireview our processes
Perspectives on ACE
cine? … It is incredibly val- and performance again.
Reaccreditation is a 3The Institute for
part series that exuable to have a focused
Healthcare improveplores the ACE reacroadmap for improvement.” ment (www.IHI.org)
creditation process
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