Mercy Medical Center Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation programs certified by industry leader

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Tags: Mercy Medical Center , health care

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Mercy Medical Center Cardiac Rehabilitation and Pulmonary Rehabilitation programs have been certified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR). This certification is recognition of Mercy Medical Center’s commitment to improving the quality of life of patients by enhancing standards of care. In 2007, Mercy Cardiac Rehabilitation and Mercy Pulmonary Rehabilitation became the first programs in Stark County to be certified by the AACVPR.

Cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation programs are designed to help people with cardiovascular problems (e.g., heart attacks, coronary artery bypass graft surgery) and pulmonary problems (e.g., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD], respiratory symptoms) recover faster and live healthier. Both programs include exercise, education, counseling and support for patients and their families.

“Our cardiac and respiratory rehabilitation programs are proud to be able to help patients with cardiovascular and chronic lung disease manage their medical conditions and improve their ability to live life to the fullest,” said Kathy Smithberger, PT, administrative director of Mercy Rehabilitation Therapy Services. “We don’t offer just an exercise program, we offer an interdisciplinary approach that focuses on improving education, nutrition, stress management and prevention. Our outcomes show that by focusing on the multidimensional aspect of patient care, we can help people achieve the goals they have for living a healthy and full life,” Smitherberger adds.

To earn accreditation, Mercy Medical Center’s Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation programs participated in an application process that requires extensive documentation of the program’s practices. AACVPR Program Certification is the only peer-review accreditation process designed to review individual programs for adherence to standards and guidelines developed and published by AACVPR and other related professional societies. Each program’s application is reviewed by the AACVPR Program Certification Committee, and certification is awarded by the AACVPR Board of Directors.

In 2018, AACVPR moved to an outcomes-based process with performance measurements that represent more meaningful outcomes. Therefore, AACVPR-certified programs are leaders in the cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation field because they offer the most advanced practices available and have proven track records of high quality patient care. AACVPR Program Certification is valid for three years.