FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 21, 2006
Contact: Jennifer Felsher
Direct: 202-261-7565
Email: jfelsher@ahqa.org
Website: www.ahqa.org

• Alliance for Cardiac Care Excellence

AHQA Supports Aggressive Goals of
New Heart Care Alliance

Washington , DC – The American Health Quality Association (AHQA) joins 28 other leading health care organizations in a coalition to improve cardiac care nationwide. Launched today, t he Alliance for Cardiac Care Excellence (ACE) seeks to e nsure that 95% of all hospitals provide heart attack and heart failure patients care that meets seven cardiac care quality measures that are consistent with nationally accepted standards by the end of this year. Currently, only about 85% of eligible heart attack and heart failure patients receive such care.

“Today 29 national health care organizations acknowledged that one in seven Medicare beneficiaries are not being treated with proven and accepted therapies for life-threatening heart attacks and heart failure. As a founding member of this coalition, AHQA welcomes the attention this new alliance will bring to address this problem.” said David Schulke, AHQA Executive Vice President. “Our member Quality Improvement Organizations support all the goals of ACE, including the transparency and accountability that public reporting brings,” Schulke continued. AHQA represents the national network of QIOs that work under contract to Medicare to improve the quality of health care delivered to beneficiaries in every state and territory.

Under their current contract with Medicare, QIOs are already providing hands-on assistance to help hospitals adopt best practices and report on a larger set of 12 cardiac care quality measures. Medicare funding shortfalls limit how many hospitals QIOs can help, but the ACE initiative is likely to mobilize private resources to improve quality performance.

ACE members (s ee full list below) will work together to bridge the gap between the nationally accepted standards of care -- clinical procedures and treatments proven to be effective -- and the actual care many adult cardiac patients currently receive. Among other things, members will monitor and support public reporting of cardiac quality measures; foster sharing of best practices and lessons learned; and overcome barriers to improved patient care such as policy, payment, communication, and knowledge issues.

Other ACE members, including the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, Premier, and VHA Inc. also have existing programs to help hospitals improve heart care. As part of the coalition, all ACE members plan to:

• Begin reporting progress by hospitals towards the goals by June 30, 2006 .
• Target December 31, 2006 as a goal to ensure that 95% of patients hospitalized for heart attack and heart failure receive care that meets all of the seven cardiac care quality measures now reported on the Hospital Compare website when appropriate.
• Ensure that by December 31, 2007 , 95% of hospitalized heart attack and heart failure patients receive care meeting the full set of 12 cardiac care quality measures endorsed by the National Quality Forum when appropriate.

The seven measures of cardiac care quality that ACE members will initially focus on include:

• For patients with a heart attack (acute myocardial infarction, or AMI): a spirin at arrival, aspirin prescribed at discharge, ACEI (angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor) or ARB (angiotensin receptor blocker) for LVSD (left ventricular systolic dysfunction), beta blocker prescribed at discharge, and beta blocker at arrival.
• For patients with heart failure (HF): LVF Assessment and ACEI (angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor) or ARB (angiotensin receptor blocker) for LVSD (left ventricular systolic dysfunction).

Beginning in January 2007, ACE members will focus on additional measures including:

• For AMI patients: smoking cessation advice/counseling, thrombolytic agent received within 30 minutes of hospital arrival, and PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) received within 120 minutes of hospital arrival
• For HF patients: discharge instructions and smoking cessation advice/counseling.

ACE members expect to address additional goals such as appropriate screening for cardiac risk factors over the next two years.

ACE Member Organizations
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality*
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
American Board of Internal Medicine
American College of Cardiology*
American College of Chest Physicians
American College of Emergency Physicians
American Health Quality Association*
American Heart Association*
American Hospital Association
American Society of Echocardiography
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
American Society of Nuclear Cardiology
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services*
Delmarva Foundation for Medical Care
Disease Management Association of America
Heart Failure Society of America
Heart Rhythm Society
Intermountain Healthcare
Institute for Healthcare Improvement*
Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations*
Louisiana Health Care Review, Inc.
National Committee for Quality Assurance*
National Council on Patient Information and Education
Premier, Inc.*
Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions
Society for Geriatric Cardiology
Society of Hospital Medicine
VHA Inc.*

*Founding member

Editor’s Note: The American Health Quality Association is dedicated to improving the safety and effectiveness of health care. AHQA represents the national network of Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) that work with hospitals, medical practices, health plans, long-term care facilities, home health agencies, and pharmacists to encourage the spread of best clinical practices and improve systems of care delivery.