Quality Improvement Activities
Improving the Quality of Cardiovascular Care
Dr. Kalon Ho and Dr. Julian Aroesty have led the Divisional efforts to track indices of quality and improve our performance. They, and other members of the Division, worked closely with colleagues from other departments to improve the quality of cardiovascular care we deliver.
- BIDMC continues to be cited by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as having a risk-adjusted 30 day mortality rate for patients with heart failure that was better than the U.S. national rate.
- Our risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality following percutaneous coronary intervention remains better than expected in the National Cardiovascular Data Registry.
- We have made further improvements in the timeliness of reperfusion therapy (door-to-balloon time) for patients presenting to the Emergency Department with acute ST segment elevation myocardial infarctions, and we continue to perform well on Joint Commission core measures of cardiac care.
Focus on Radiation Safety
One of the major initiatives this academic year focused on radiation safety. The Division took the lead in working with the Radiation Safety Committee to improve the informed consent process for patients, with more education about the potential risks of extended fluoroscopic exposures before invasive.
We also expanded our Divisional continuing medical education activities related to fluoroscopy and implemented a formal radiation safety credentialing process for all attending physicians and fellows who operate fluoroscopic equipment.
Division Members' Leadership Efforts
Finally, members of the Division remain leaders in state, national and international quality improvement efforts at the:
- Massachusetts Department of Public Health
- National Cardiovascular Data Registry
- American College of Cardiology
- Food and Drug Administration
- International Guidelines Applied in Practice Door-to-Balloon (D2B) Alliance
