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Jan. 8, 2009: Canton, Ohio: Mercy Medical Center is the first hospital in Ohio and the second in the nation to be named an accredited Heart Failure Institute by the Healthcare Accreditation Colloquium.

The Healthcare Accreditation Colloquium brings quality and process improvement to the care of heart failure patients in the community and hospitals by using improvement-based continuous accreditation. The Colloquium offers an organized and systematic approach to heart failure that encompasses the entire continuum of care. The process is modeled after well-established process improvement methods used in industry.  The accreditation of Mercy’s heart failure (HF) center indicates that the hospital is proficient in managing this disease, placing emphasis on both quantity and quality of life across the entire continuum of care. Examples of innovative, proactive HF initiatives at Mercy include remote HF monitoring, the Dance for Life exercise pilot program, and rapid 24/7 access to clinical data for HF patients.

The accreditation process included an analysis of current practices, a comprehensive report, in-depth interviews and an on-site review.

According to Tony Joseph, M.D. and CEO of the Healthcare Accreditation Colloquium, heart failure is a growing health problem in the U.S. with 550,000 new cases diagnosed each year. “Half of these individuals will die within five years,” said Dr. Joseph.  “Organizations like Mercy Medical Center recognize that heart failure is a chronic disease. Mercy is to be applauded for its innovative programs within the Community Domain of HF.”

To learn more about Mercy's HF programs, call 330-580-4764.   For more information on the Healthcare Accreditation Colloquium, visit www.thacinc.com.

Forefront of HF Care

James D. Johns, M.D., chairman of Mercy Family Practice and medical director of the Mercy Heart Failure Center (HFC), believes that raising the awareness of physicians, nurses, and the community to the importance of proper care of individuals with heart failure is an important goal of the institute. Close monitoring of symptoms and adjusting treatment accordingly helps patients avoid return trips to the hospital and maintain quality outpatient care.

"This accreditation means Mercy is on the forefront of heart failure care and actively contributing to the formation of best practices for this serious, long-term condition," said Johns. "In keeping with the Healthcare Accreditation Colloquium's Ideal Heart Failure Institute ModelSM, we strive to understand the disease process from the patient's point of view and continue to implement patient-focused programs that improve quality and length of life."

The Colloquium recently asked Johns to present on HF care in the community at its upcoming multidisciplinary conference. Mercy's heart failure coordinator Teree Rice, R.N., presented during the 2008 symposium.

Ahmed A. El Ghamry Sabe, M.D., medical director of the Mercy Heart Center, believes the Mercy Heart Failure Center accreditation is added recognition of the Mercy Heart Center’s decades of achievements and leadership. Named as one of the America's 50 top heart centers by U.S. News & World Report and one of Solucient's 100 top hospitals for cardiovascular services ­- as well as the nation’s leader in emergency chest pain centers – Mercy has demonstrated its expertise in caring for acute and chronic cardiovascular disease.

He said, "At Mercy, we believe a community hospital must strive for excellence. We have to offer the best care because the lives of those in our community depend on us."

Mercy's Heart Care Leadership

In 2006 Mercy was the nation's first to install a fully functioning cardiac catheterization lab in its Emergency Department Chest Pain Center. The cath lab has helped Mercy become one of the nation's fastest angioplasty responders and exceed American College of Cardiology goals by getting more than 90 percent of patients to catheterization in less than 90 minutes – with nearly 10 percent in 15 minutes or less.

The hospital's impressive list of other heart care firsts includes: The world's first angioplasty in an emergency department.

-- The nation's first accredited chest pain center; cardiac catheterization in a community hospital; and ER use of cardiopulmonary bypass to resuscitate victims of heart attack.

-- Ohio's first emergency chest pain center with accreditation to perform angioplasty 24/7; drug-eluting stent angioplasty; and minimally invasive coronary bypass

About Mercy Medical Center

Mercy Medical Center, a nonprofit corporation of the Sisters of Charity Health System and University Hospitals Health System, operates a 476-bed hospital serving Stark, Carroll, Wayne, Holmes and Tuscarawas Counties and parts of Southeastern Ohio. It has 550 physicians on its Medical Staff and employs 2,500 people. Mercy operates outpatient health centers in Carrollton, Jackson Township, Lake Township, Louisville, North Canton and Plain Township. A Catholic hospital, Mercy Medical Center upholds the mission and philosophy of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine and continues to be responsive to the needs of the community, including the provision of care to all, regardless of their ability to pay. For more information, see www.cantonmercy.com.