Yale New Haven Hospital Receives Transcatheter Valve Center Certification

New Haven, CT (March 8, 2021) – The Structural Heart Program at Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH) Heart and Vascular Center has received Transcatheter Valve Certification from the American College of Cardiology (ACC).This certification is a recognition of the expertise, quality and safety of care, and outstanding outcomes achieved at YNHH for treating patients who need transcatheter valve replacement. YNHH is the first and only program in Connecticut to receive this certification from the American College of Cardiology.

"We are proud that the Structural Heart Program at Yale New Haven Hospital Heart and Vascular Center is a recipient of ACC Transcatheter Valve Certification,” said John Forrest, MD, director of Structural Heart Program, Yale New Haven Health and associate professor of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine and. “This achievement highlights our talented and experienced team and the quality of care that has come as a result of a multidisciplinary approach to providing evidence-based, patient-centered care in a shared decision making format. As the first center in the state to perform transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) as well as transcatheter mitral valve repair and replacement, we are committed to providing patients with world-class care from nationally recognized experts in the field."

The Structural Heart Program underwent a rigorous nine-month evaluation in which reviewers from the American College of Cardiology conducted an analysis of key areas including: quality of care, clinical outcomes and patient experience, quality assessment and performance improvement initiatives.

“We are very pleased to have the expertise of our HVC team and quality of our HVC Structural Heart Program validated and certified by the ACC,” said Francine LoRusso, senior vice president operations and executive director, Heart and Vascular Services at YNHH. “This accreditation process and certification further guarantees to our patients that they are receiving exceptional, evidence-based care with high quality outcomes. We are grateful for the talent and leadership of Dr. Forrest and the extraordinary Heart and Vascular Center staff who contribute to this care on a daily basis.”

The certification is based on established national clinical measures to support clinical decisions and links process improvement to patient outcomes. Hospitals that achieve Transcatheter Valve Certification learn and use best practices for implementing evidence-based medicine to support patient-shared decision-making and can track key performance metrics to better identify opportunities for improvement.

The certification is valid for three years and is effective through February 2024.