Memorial Regional Hospital recently earned an elite honor after becoming the fourth hospital in the United States to earn Advanced Heart Failure Accreditation from the American College of Cardiology (ACC). The Hollywood-based facility, home to the Memorial Cardiac and Vascular Institute, received the accreditation after meeting an array of stringent criteria during an on-site review of the staff’s ability to evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients with heart failure.

By proving its excellence in pre-hospital care, early stabilization, acute care, transitional care and clinical quality measures, Memorial Regional was the only South Florida hospital to earn the designation, along with facilities in Indiana (Lutheran Hospital), Georgia (Union General Hospital) and Tampa (AdventHealth).

“The advanced certification wouldn’t be possible without the expertise of our physicians, team members, and the commitment to provide the highest quality patient and family-centered care to our patients,” Peter Powers says, CEO of Memorial Regional Hospital. “We’re proud to be recognized as the leading cardiac program in South Florida.”

Fewer than 60 hospitals in the country have received Heart Failure Accreditation from the ACC, with those mentioned above the only ones from that group earning the advanced certification. Facilities must participate in a multi-faceted clinical process that involves completing a gap analysis, examining variances of care, developing an action plan, on-site review and ongoing monitoring. Accredited hospitals have streamlined processes, implemented guidelines and standards, and adopted best practices to educate patients, improve outcomes and control disease more effectively and efficiently.