Email this pageExamples of Volume-Driven Quality
Two programs at the Strong Heart and Vascular Center received quality awards amid a double-digit rise in surgical volume.
The Artificial Heart Program, part of the Heart Failure and Transplantation Program, was honored with the ABIOMED Center of Excellence Award in recognition of the team's outstanding work with the company's ventricular assist devices (VADs) and some of the best clinical outcomes in the country.
Seventy percent of patients waiting for transplant require artificial heart pumps in order to survive until a donor heart becomes available. As a Center of Excellence, the program has access to the newest experimental devices and will continue to assist with the development of these technologies. It also serves as a training site for physicians from other medical centers learning to implant devices.
Strong Memorial Hospital's cardiac services also have been named a 2005 UnitedHealth Premium Cardiac Specialty Center by UnitedHealthcare. This quality assessment evaluates the hospital against evidence-based criteria, and the award reflects the quality and efficiency in the areas of heart surgery, electrophysiology services, and cardiac catheterization.