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BWH’s Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) program earned high marks in its second accreditation survey by The Joint Commission in December.
“We received glowing praise from the surveyor during the day and a half evaluation,” said Leslie Griffin, NP, MS, one of the nurse practitioners in the Advanced Heart Disease Program.
BWH’s VAD and transplant programs are the busiest in the region, and the surveyor commended the enthusiasm and knowledge of staff in caring for their patients, as well as their “spirit of continuous improvement.” She also praised the program’s infrastructure and physical space in the Shapiro Cardiovascular Center, which supports superior care for patients and families.
One of the program’s greatest strengths, according to the surveyor, is the interdisciplinary communication among team members. The physician, nurse practitioner, pharmacist, nutritionist and other team members round daily on each VAD patient, and the entire interdisciplinary team meets weekly to discuss the plan of care for every VAD and transplant patient.
In addition, BWH is one of the few hospitals with a dedicated VAD educator. Cathy Saniuk, RN, educates cardiac nurses at BWH about all of the devices, as well as nurses at the rehabilitation facilities that patients may be discharged to.
BWH’s heart failure and VAD program has a strong history. BWH is the first hospital in New England to implant an LVAD, or left ventricular assist device, as a destination therapy, adding to the hospital’s substantial arsenal to treat heart failure.