The University of Tennessee Medical Center has achieved The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Comprehensive Cardiac Center (CCC) Certification and is the first hospital in the state of Tennessee to achieve this new honor. The certification, awarded for a two-year period, demonstrates the medical center’s commitment to excellence in cardiac care.

“We are honored to achieve this certification by The Joint Commission,” said Joe Landsman, president and CEO of UT Medical Center. “Our cardiac team of physicians, nurses and other clinicians at the medical center work tirelessly to continuously improve our care processes for our patients and this certification attests to our commitment to putting the health and safety of our patients first.”

To earn CCC certification, the medical center underwent a rigorous onsite review. During the review, experts from The Joint Commission evaluated compliance with key CCC Certification requirements, including:

• 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

“Our entire team of physicians and clinicians work in partnership providing patient-centered care, leading edge therapies and extensive patient and community education in one facility,” said Jeanne Wohlford, vice president of the medical center’s Heart Lung Vascular Institute.

“Choosing a medical center that is certified as a Comprehensive Cardiac Center ensures patients and their families that they will receive comprehensive, coordinated, and high-quality care,” said Dr. James Shamiyeh, medical director of the Heart Lung Vascular Institute.

“We applaud The University of Tennessee Medical Center for achieving this rigorous certification in an effort to improve patient safety and quality of care for cardiac care patients,” said Patrick Phelan, executive director, Hospital Business Development, The Joint Commission. “Achieving certification demonstrates the medical center has proven compliance with high standards that support delivery of integrated, coordinated and patient-centered cardiac care and communications to support transitions from the emergency department to diagnosis, treatment and follow-up through outpatient care services.”

In 2017, The Joint Commission launched its Comprehensive Cardiac Center Certification, a voluntary program for Joint Commission-accredited hospitals seeking an independent evaluation and recognition of their comprehensive cardiac center services. Developed in partnership with a technical advisory panel of clinicians with specific expertise in the field, The Joint Commission’s new CCC certification program is designed to recognize Joint Commission-accredited hospitals with robust cardiac care service lines demonstrating consistent excellence across:

• Standards compliance
• Clinical performance on targeted metrics
• Advanced Disease-Specific Care requirements.