Health
- Last Updated on Sunday, 28 February 2016 00:50
Monongahela Valley Hospital (MVH) was one of only five hospitals recently awarded reaccreditation as an elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), facility by the Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence (ACE). The reaccreditation is a testament to MVH’s commitment to the demanding standards of quality and safety set by the ACE.
PCI, also known as coronary angioplasty, is administered to open blocked arteries in the heart. This procedure can be used as a preventative measure or for treating a heart attack and is usually combined with the placement of a stent, a tiny wire mesh tube that keeps the artery open. Pennsylvania is one of the few states that currently have programs in place which accredit PCI facilities lacking on-site surgical backup — part of the Commonwealth’s exemption regulations.
“At Monongahela Valley Hospital, our priority is our patients, stated Louis J. Panza Jr., president and CEO of MVH, “Receiving this accreditation allows us to improve their access to the care and benefits of PCI in a convenient location by the medical professionals they know and trust.”
"The performance of PCI without on-site surgery is an increasingly accepted practice in the United States, as questions about its safety have diminished in the presence of a proven, well-defined, and protocol-driven approach," said ACE Secretary Christopher J. White, M.D., FACC, MSCAI, FAHA, FESC M.D. "State departments of health take a cautious approach to approving facilities for PCI without on-site surgery, and many are seeking or investigating external oversight to ensure delivery of the highest-quality care. By attaining ACE reaccreditation, being one of these five hospitals demonstrates that Pennsylvania is at the forefront of state efforts to secure independent validation of the quality of care in its PCI facilities