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St. Joseph’s Hospital’s Structural Heart and Valve Program has been recertified by the American College of Cardiology (ACC), reflecting its sustained excellence in patient care and ongoing commitment to exceeding national standards. The certification recognizes expertise and commitment to excellence in treating patients receiving transcatheter valve repair and replacement procedures.
The ACC’s Transcatheter Valve Certification is an external review process that pairs with established national clinical databases to monitor patient safety and real-world outcomes. Participation in the databases is required for hospitals interested in achieving the certification, which then supports clinical decisions and links process improvement to patient outcomes.
Since the inception of St. Joseph’s Hospital Structural Heart and Valve Program, more than 1,500 transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures have been completed. The program was one of the first in the state of Florida to implant the Edwards Resilia treated S3 Ultra intra-annular valve, allowing the team to treat a wider range of patients with TAVR.
After initial ACC certification in 2022, the program saw a steady rise in successful procedures due in-part to comprehensive pre-op evaluations that increased excellent patient outcomes with low rates of complications. The pre-op evaluations, completed by a multi-disciplinary team of six physicians, including cardiovascular surgeons, cardiologists and interventional cardiologists, are designed to recommend the best treatment plan for each patient.
“ACC recertification represents months of hard work by the St. Joseph’s Hospital’s Structural Heart and Valve Team in conjunction with our Heart and Vascular Institute colleagues,” said Phillips Harrington, MD, director of the St. Joseph’s Hospital’s Structural Heart and Valve Program and a BayCare Medical Group cardiothoracic surgeon. “The ACC sets the highest standard for Transcatheter Valve Programs and the St. Joseph’s [Hospital] team is proud to achieve this important recognition.”
BayCare has two other ACC accredited structural heart programs: the Bostick Heart Center at Winter Haven Hospital in Winter Haven, and the Center for Advanced Valve and Structural Heart Care at Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater. The team-based approach and collaboration across all three hospitals set BayCare’s structural heart programs apart in the region.
For more information: BayCare’s TAVR services
