New Online Tool Allows Patients to Make Informed Heart Care Decisions

MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute Participates in Find Your Heart a Home in Partnership with American College of Cardiology 

Washington, D.C., February 4, 2016 – MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute at MedStar Washington Hospital Center is one of only two hospitals in the nation selected to partner with the American College of Cardiology (ACC) on the Find Your Heart a Home™ pilot program, a campaign aimed at empowering patients when making their heart care decisions. Through its participation, MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute is further demonstrating its dedication to quality improvement, transparency, and patient and provider engagement.

In this era of health care transparency, patients and their families want access to credible information about quality of care to help them make informed decisions. Consumers consult online search tools to make decisions on restaurants and hotels, and now they can do the same for their cardiovascular care.

Find Your Heart a Home is a first-of-its-kind hospital comparison database for cardiac care. It allows patients and caregivers, to search and compare hospitals based on the cardiac services they provide and important information on the quality of care they deliver.

“Transparency in health care is a growing expectation among patients and their caregivers,” said Allen J. Taylor, MD, FACC FAHA, chief of Cardiology at MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute. “The Find Your Heart a Home tool can offer the transparency patients are seeking and help eliminate the information clutter by giving them reliable information they need to make informed choices. We are proud to be partnering with ACC on this important pilot project.”

Find Your Heart a Home is populated with data from the National Cardiovascular Data Registry, which tracks certain heart care procedures performed at hospitals nationwide. It rated MedStar Washington Hospital Center, the founding hospital of MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute, based on 1,810 cardiac catheterization and angioplasty procedures, and 520 implanted cardiac defibrillators.  For each aspect of care evaluated, the Hospital Center’s performance earned the maximum four stars.

The tool is part of ACC’s CardioSmart initiative, a website full of educational information and tools to help guide patients on their heart health journey.

“MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute is a pioneer in this effort to give patients the tools they need to become an active participant when mapping out their cardiac care plan,” said ACC President Kim Allan Williams, MD, FACC. “They are showing a true commitment to transparency and quality and serving as an example to hospitals across the country.”

MedStar Washington Hospital Center’s heart data can be found here, or visit FindYourHeartaHome.org.

About MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute:

MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute, founded at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., is a national leader in the research, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease, and has been consistently recognized by U.S. News & World Report and The Society of Thoracic Surgeons as one of the top cardiovascular programs in the nation. In January 2013, MedStar Heart formed a first-of-its-kind clinical and research alliance with world-renowned Cleveland Clinic Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart & Vascular Institute, the #1 heart program in the country. Together, MedStar Heart and Cleveland Clinic have forged a relationship of shared expertise that is transforming cardiovascular care, enhancing quality, improving safety and increasing access to advanced heart and vascular services. MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute comprises more than 140 cardiovascular physician specialists throughout the mid-Atlantic region, as well as the nationally recognized heart care of all nine MedStar Health acute care hospitals and MedStar National Rehabilitation Network. For more information, visit MedStarHeartInstitute.org. 

About The American College of Cardiology:

The American College of Cardiology is a 52,000-member medical society that is the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team. The mission of the College is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College operates national registries to measure and improve care, provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research and bestows credentials upon cardiovascular specialists who meet stringent qualifications. For more information, visit acc.org.