The Healthcare Colloquium Launches Final Charter Pediatric Heart Failure Hospitals

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Healthcare Colloquium announced today the launch of the final group of charter pediatric hospitals to enter the Colloquium joining the original 2013 charter members. Colloquium pediatric member hospitals are committed to excellence in the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric heart failure. The new charter hospitals are:

• Holtz Children's Hospital/Jackson Memorial Medical Center (Miami, FL)
• Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
• Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA
• Children's Hospitals Los Angeles
• Children's National Health System (District of Columbia)
• Children's of Alabama (Birmingham, AL)
• Methodist Children's Hospital (San Antonio, TX)
• Cook Children's Medical Center (Fort Worth, TX)

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140217/PH66054LOGO)

"The work being done at these hospitals is evidence of their commitment to pre-eminent care for children with heart failure. They care for the sickest of the sick children." said Tony Joseph, MD, Chief Strategic Officer and Founder of the Colloquium. "We are delighted that they have joined our group of expert hospitals focused on the delivery of advanced healthcare for this low-volume and high-risk group of children and their families."

The true incidence of heart failure in children is an estimate. Most children are diagnosed in the first year of life. The major cause is congenital heart defects (about 8 per 1,000 live births). Next in importance is cardiomyopathy (all causes). Peer-reviewed sources estimate the number individuals under age 19 years old with heart failure from these two reasons range widely between 12,000 to 35,000 per year. Even with inexact data, the absolute numbers of children with this heart failure syndrome is relatively small compared to other diseases. This perception of small numbers has led to the relative lack of resources to care for these sick children. Yet, it is known that children with heart failure have higher cardiac procedure rates (61.4%) than adults with heart failure (0.28%). Considering only CHD, 90% of all children reach adulthood and live active lives. Over one million adults today have a history of CHD. Some things are going in the right direction. Adding these new pediatric hospitals to the Colloquium membership accelerates positive change. http://colloquiumhealth.com/who-we-are/?post=1275

The Colloquium's rigorous accreditation process is modeled after process improvement methods and includes a study of current practices, a gap analysis, in-depth interviews, clinical process mapping, an onsite review, and a comprehensive milestone report with specific action steps. Benefits include:

• An integration of care, from early diagnosis to advanced care
• Streamlined processes across the entire continuum of care
• Enabling caregivers to provide greater care at home and less hospitalization
• Collaboration with other Colloquium member hospitals across the country

The Colloquium is the first organization to develop an improvement science based approach pediatric heart failure accreditation using a continuum of care model. We will all look forward to see how some of the best minds in pediatric cardiology work together as a true colloquium to advance our knowledge and practice in this most important area of healthcare.

About The Healthcare Colloquium – A Battelle Company
As a hospital membership organization, the Colloquium is comprised of a wide range of member hospitals with a common shared passion: pre-eminence in caring for those with critical illnesses. Starting with the individual and using a relationship care model, member hospitals work together to identify what is important throughout the entire continuum of care. The Colloquium's approach includes traditional process improvement methods as well as cultural change in the delivery of healthcare.

The Healthcare Colloquium is a hospital membership organization based in Columbus, Ohio - improving healthcare across America. Visit the Colloquium at: http://colloquiumhealth.com/

Contact: David Giles
VP Marketing & Business Development
The Healthcare Colloquium, Inc.
3040 Riverside Drive
Columbus, Ohio 43221
614.545.3800
Email

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SOURCE The Healthcare Colloquium