Central DuPage Hospital's Cleveland Clinic-Affiliated Heart Surgery Program Up and Running

Suburban Chicago Patients Benefiting from Shared Best Practices

WINFIELD, Ill., March 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- It has been just short of a year since Central DuPage Hospital (CDH) announced an affiliation with Cleveland Clinic's cardiac surgery program and the clinical staff and patients have benefitted from the collaboration.

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"At the launch, our goal was to combine the academic, clinical and research components of Cleveland Clinic with CDH's existing program, which was already quite strong," said Medical Director for Cardiovascular Surgery at CDH Tim James, M.D. "The result has been the development of a multi-disciplinary cardiovascular surgery program that is committed to quality measurement and process development."

Another advantage of the affiliation has been the opportunity for CDH cardiac intensive nurses, pharmacists, nurse educators and advanced practice nurses to travel to Cleveland Clinic to observe and work with the surgical teams. "Although it's a cardiac surgery program, there are many facets outside the operating room involved, including respiratory therapy, pharmacy and rehab services," said Pam Roman, executive director, strategic service lines and program director of the Cleveland affiliation.

"What happens before and after the surgical procedure is as important as what happens in the operating room. We are committed to making the whole care process an exceptional one, from start to finish," says James.

James shares cases with his partner, surgeon Neil J. Thomas, M.D. The two combined have more than 30 years experience in the operating room and both are certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery - Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) and have additionally been fellowship trained in vascular surgery.

Drs. James and Thomas have consistently been reviewing their most complex heart surgery cases with various cardiac surgeons at Cleveland Clinic. "As the number one ranked hospital for cardiac care by US News & World Report for 16 consecutive years, Cleveland Clinic surgeons see a higher volume of patients with complex conditions and unique complications. Our cardiac surgery team is able to benefit from their experience and discuss the details of each patient's condition, in the hopes of deciding upon the best course of treatment," said James.

CDH professionals are working on other best practice improvement initiatives, such as an early mobility program, which provides support to encourage patients to begin safely walking more quickly after surgery. Other process improvement projects include assessing operating room efficiency to lessen time a patient spends on the operating table and reducing a patient's overall length of stay.

For more information about the only Cleveland Clinic Cardiac Surgery Program west of Ohio, please contact 630-933-4480/ TTY 630-933-4833 for the hearing impaired or visit http://www.cdh.org/Cleveland.

About Central DuPage Hospital (CDH)

Central DuPage Hospital is a nationally recognized 313-bed facility located in Winfield, Ill., a suburb west of Chicago. CDH is a leading center for medical technology, one of the busiest surgical hospitals in Illinois and has achieved Magnet® recognition for excellence in nursing services.

For the last four consecutive years, Thomson Reuters has listed CDH as a 100 Top Hospital in the U.S. CDH is affiliated with other healthcare leaders, including regionally known Children's Memorial Hospital for pediatric care and, most recently, nationally known Cleveland Clinic for cardiac surgery.

Central DuPage Hospital is an interdependent network of healthcare organizations and services, including convenient care centers, occupational health services, home health and hospice care. For more information or to find a doctor on the medical staff of CDH, visit www.cdh.org or call 630-933-4234/ TTY 630-933-4833 for the hearing impaired.

About Cleveland Clinic Heart and Vascular Institute

Cleveland Clinic Heart and Vascular Institute is the recognized world leader in diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Cleveland Clinic has been ranked No. 1 in the nation for cardiac care by U.S. News & World Report every year since 1995. Cleveland Clinic has also been ranked among America's Ten Best Hospitals every year since 1990 by U.S. News & World Report.

About Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland Clinic, located in Cleveland, Ohio, is a not-for-profit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. It was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. U.S. News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation's best hospitals in its annual "America's Best Hospitals" survey. About 2,100 full-time salaried physicians and researchers and 11,000 nurses represent 120 medical specialties and subspecialties. In addition to its main campus, Cleveland Clinic operates nine regional hospitals and 15 Family Health Centers in Northeast Ohio, Cleveland Clinic Florida, the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, Cleveland Clinic Canada, and opening in 2012, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. In 2009, there were more than 4.6 million visits throughout the Cleveland Clinic health system and 170,000 hospital admissions. Patients came for treatment from every state and from more than 100 countries. Visit us at www.clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at www.twitter.com/ClevelandClinic.

SOURCE Central DuPage Hospital