Collaborations

Hospital that have earned ACC Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI and Resuscitation Accreditation have proven exceptional competency in treating patient with heart attack symptoms and have primary PCI available 24/7 every day of the year. As required to meet the criteria of the accreditation designation, they comply with standard Chest Pain Center protocols and are equipped with a robust hypothermia program for post-cardiac treatment. These facilities also maintain a “No Diversion Policy” for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients.

Hospitals receiving Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI and Resuscitation Accreditation from the ACC must take part in a multi-faceted clinical process that involves: completing a gap analysis; examining variances of care, developing an action plan; a rigorous onsite review; and monitoring for sustained success. Improved methods and strategies of caring for patients include streamlining processes, implementing of guidelines and standards, and adopting best practices in the care of patients experiencing the signs and symptoms of a heart attack. Facilities that achieve accreditation meet or exceed an array of stringent criteria. and have organized a team of doctors, nurses, clinicians, and other administrative staff that earnestly support the efforts leading to better patient education and improved patient outcomes.

The National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) ® is one of the most comprehensive quality improvement programs in the country. NCDR tracks all data from the time a cardiac patient first enters a hospital’s care system and includes information on each patient’s symptoms, EKG and other test results, diagnosis, medications, additional chronic and acute illnesses (co-morbidities), and the specific medications and treatment provided to the patient in the hospital. NCDR and other mandated and voluntary registries provide state and national statistics on cardiac care trends, patient outcomes, and mortality. The information improves patient care by helping hospitals and doctors evaluate new equipment (such as coronary stents) and treatment methods. This enables us to refine our care accordingly to meet the highest current treatment standards.

Certification by IAC is a very stringent process. IAC is the only accreditation board for echocardiography in the country and this certification confirms the high quality of our echocardiography capabilities. Cardiologists make critical decisions based on the anatomical and physiological information garnered from echocardiograms. The sonographers on staff at the Cayuga Heart Institute are highly experienced and use excellent technique, which is extremely important in the realm of cardiac care.

The Nuclear Medicine Department at Cayuga Medical Center is certified in Nuclear Cardiology by the American College of Radiology (ACR). Nuclear imaging is used to evaluate the function and anatomy of the heart while it is working and is a very important diagnostic test. ARC certification indicates that our nuclear cardiology services meet the highest standards of care.

The Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at Cayuga Center for Healthy Living (CCHL) has received program certification from the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation.

Cayuga Medical Center’s Cayuga Heart Institute is a collaborator with the Rochester Regional Sands-Constellation Heart Institute (SCHI) in Rochester, New York. SCHI is a Cleveland Clinic Heart Surgery Center. US News and World Report has ranked the Cleveland Clinic Heart Surgery Center first in the nation in cardiac care for fifteen years running.

Our collaboration with the SCHI enriches local cardiac care by partnering Cayuga Heart Institute with a busy, progressive cardiac center noted for excellence in diagnosing, preventing, treating and managing heart disease and conditions. This relationship impacts our cardiac program in four distinct areas:

• Direct consultation on complicated cardiac patients, including the capability for immediate consultations during procedures, if needed.
• Quality review to ensure the highest possible standards of care, overseeing electrophysiology and interventional cardiology.

Driven by patient outcomes and in collaboration with the SCHI, the Cayuga Heart Institute has raised the bar in local cardiac care higher than ever. Our cardiac-care professionals strive to create a seamless system of care for patients from the moment they enter Cayuga Health System. Our care is patient focused, both on outcomes and on the way patients feel about how they have been treated.

For patients requiring interventional care beyond percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or cardiac catheterization, we provide a smooth transition to the finest, nearby cardiac center, the Sands-Constellation Heart Institute.

Through a long-standing collaboration with Pediatric Cardiology Associates of Syracuse, pediatric tele-echocardiography is available for at-risk newborns in Cayuga Medical Center’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Echocardiograms are performed in our NICU to detect suspected life-threatening heart defects. These ultrasound images are observed in real-time and interpreted by an experienced pediatric cardiologist in Syracuse, via teleconferencing technology. When the diagnosis requires surgical intervention, the patient is transferred immediately to either Crouse Hospital or Golisano Children’s Hospital. Both of these highly rated tertiary care centers are located in Syracuse, New York.