Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Becomes First Accredited Pediatric Heart Failure Institute in Pennsylvania and Third in the Nation

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Sept. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Healthcare Accreditation Colloquium announced today that Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) became the first Accredited Pediatric Heart Failure Institute in Pennsylvania and third in the nation following nearly a year of work culminating in an in-depth onsite review.

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"Children's Hospital of Philadelphia continues in its long tradition by bringing a world-class team of heart failure experts to the Colloquium," said Dr. John Lynn Jefferies, Colloquium's national pediatric chair and reviewer for the site visit. "We are delighted CHOP has achieved this accreditation. Their work underscores the increasing recognition of pediatric heart failure and strengthens the clinical and research bonds between Children's hospitals across the country.

Since its start in 1855 as the nation's first hospital devoted exclusively to caring for children, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has many dramatic firsts reflecting an ongoing commitment to exceptional patient care. CHOP is first in Pennsylvania just the third pediatric hospital to earn the designation of Accredited Pediatric Heart Failure Institute and one of only five Colloquium charter pediatric.

"The heart failure program at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is enthusiastic about working with the Colloquium," said Dr. Joseph Rossano, Medical Director of Heart Transplantation. "Working together with other Children's Hospitals throughout the country we will improve the lives of all children and all families affected by heart failure."

The reviewers, John Lynn Jefferies, MD (Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Medical Center) and David Wayne (Temple University adjunct faculty) assessed CHOP in four major Domains: Community, Hospital, Clinician, and Science. Within each Domain, CHOP completed various milestones required for accreditation.

Within the Community Domain, CHOP was found to have an exceptional program for genetic screening of entire families going beyond focusing only upon one child. "Family tree development and genetic testing prevents tragedy in other family members," said Dr. Tony Joseph, Colloquium CEO. "Adult cardiology has a great deal to learn from their pediatric cardiology counterparts."

In the Hospital Domain, CHOP is a dominant provider of advanced heart care including VADs, artificial heart, and heart transplantation services. Their efforts at the bedside are supported by participation in many research areas within the Science Domain. "CHOP is an excellent example of constancy of purpose seen even their improvement efforts that always put the child and the family first reflecting holistic care across the entire continuum," said David Wayne, lead reviewer.

Heart failure nursing education received special kudos from the reviewers. Operating within a high risk and low volume environment with many complex life saving devices, the nurses at CHOP have developed an extraordinary approach to keeping nurses current from the bedside on the units through the cath labs and outpatient setting. As the result of their work, they have been asked to present a national seminar in 2014.

"Our participation with the Colloquium has been great for our team," said Kelley D. Miller, MSN, CRNP, who was the lead nurse on the effort. "The accreditation process solidified our accomplishments. Now we will launch the next step. We look forward to our development as a team and the networking and access to resources provided by the Colloquium."

The Colloquium is the first organization to develop an improvement science based approach to pediatric heart failure accreditation using a continuum of care model. The first five charter pediatric member hospitals are completing work begun in late 2011.

The Colloquium will offer invitations to an addition five pediatric members to join in this breakthrough landmark effort beginning in January 2014. Please contact the Colloquium for more information about how your community's children's hospital can participate.

To learn more about Children's Hospital of Philadelphia:

• General info: http://www.chop.edu/
• Heart care for children info: http://www.chop.edu/service/cardiac-center/home.html

To learn more about the Colloquium:

• General info: http://colloquiumhealth.com/contact/
• Phone: 614-545-3800

Contact: Tony Joseph, MD
Chief Executive Officer
The Healthcare Accreditation Colloquium
3040 Riverside Drive, Suite 219
Columbus, Ohio 43221
614.545.3800
Email

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SOURCE The Healthcare Accreditation Colloquium