UT Southwestern earns accreditation from the Adult Congenital Heart Association
DALLAS – March 28, 2018 – In recognition of its expertise in serving adults with congenital heart disease (CHD), UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Health℠ have received accreditation from the Adult Congenital Heart Association (ACHA), a nationwide organization focused on connecting patients, family members and healthcare providers to form a community of support and network of experts with knowledge of congenital heart disease.
Individuals with CHD, the most common birth defect diagnosed in one in 100 births, are living longer. There are now 1.4 million adults in the U.S. living with one of the many different types of congenital heart defects that range among simple, moderate, and complex.
“Our Adult Congenital Heart Disease team was thrilled to receive news of our certification as a comprehensive care center, after undergoing a very thorough review of our program,” said Dr. Beth Brickner, Co-Director of UT Southwestern’s Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program, Professor of Internal Medicine, and holder of the Charles B. Mullins, M.D. Professorship in Clinical Practice and Teaching in Cardiology. “Our ACHD program involves a very strong collaboration between UT Southwestern and Children’s Health and is a team effort with multiple care providers, including both adult and pediatric cardiologists (including six board-certified ACHD cardiologists), cardiac and pediatric cardiac surgeons, and multiple other specialists working together in order to meet all of a patient’s care needs throughout their life. This includes diagnostic testing, interventional procedures, congenital heart surgery, pregnancy counseling and care, and ongoing outpatient care to monitor and manage patients and help them deal with the challenges they may face as a result of their congenital heart defect.”
UT Southwestern and Children’s Health received accreditation by meeting ACHA’s criteria, which includes medical services and personnel requirements, and going through a rigorous accreditation process, both of which were developed over a number of years through a collaboration with doctors, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and ACHD patients.
“There are now more adults than children in the U.S. with CHD,” said Mark Roeder, President and CEO of ACHA. “Accreditation will elevate the standard of care and have a positive impact on the futures of those living with this disease. Coordination of care is key, and this accreditation program will make care more streamlined for ACHD patients, improving their quality of life.”
Sixteen additional centers have earned the ACHA ACHD Accredited Comprehensive Care Center designation:
- Ahmanson/UCLA Adult Congenital Heart Disease Center (Los Angeles, CA)
- Adult Congenital Heart Program, Stanford University (Palo Alto, CA)
- Colorado Adult and Teen Congenital Heart (CATCH) Program at Children’s Hospital Colorado and University of Colorado Hospital (Aurora, CO)
- Memorial Regional Hospital/Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital ACHD Center (Hollywood, FL)
- Boston Adult Congenital Heart (BACH) and Pulmonary Hypertension Program (Boston, MA)
- University of Michigan Adult Congenital Heart Program (Ann Arbor, MI)
- Washington University Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program (St. Louis, MO)
- Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program at Children’s Hospital & Medical Center and Nebraska Medicine (Omaha, NE)
- NYU Langone Health Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program (New York, NY)
- Cincinnati Children's Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program (CCHMC) (Cincinnati, OH)
- COACH: Columbus Ohio Adult Congenital Heart Disease & Pulmonary Hypertension Program (Columbus, OH)
- Medical University of South Carolina Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program (Charleston, SC)
- Texas Children’s Hospital Adult Congenital Heart Program (Houston, TX)
- Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program at University of Washington & Seattle Children’s Hospital (Seattle, WA)
- Providence Adult and Teen Congenital Heart Program (PATCH) (Spokane, WA)
- Wisconsin Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program (WAtCH) at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin (Milwaukee, WI)
About UT Southwestern Medical Center
UT Southwestern, one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution’s faculty has received six Nobel Prizes, and includes 22 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 17 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 14 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The faculty of more than 2,700 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide care in about 80 specialties to more than 100,000 hospitalized patients, 600,000 emergency room cases, and oversee approximately 2.2 million outpatient visits a year.
About Children’s Health℠
Children’s Health℠ is the eighth-largest pediatric health care provider in the nation and the leading pediatric health care system in North Texas, providing a full spectrum of health care services — from daily wellness and primary care to specialty visits and critical care. Holding eight disease-specific care certifications from The Joint Commission, Children’s Health has been consistently named one of the nation’s top pediatric providers by U.S. News & World Report. The Children’s Health system includes Children’s Medical Center Dallas, as well as Children’s Medical Center Plano, Our Children’s House inpatient rehabilitation hospital, multiple specialty centers, Children’s Health Pediatric Group primary care practices, rehabilitation facilities, home health, physician services and the Children’s Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern. For more information about Children’s Health, visit www.childrens.com.
About the Adult Congenital Heart Association
The Adult Congenital Heart Association (ACHA) is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life and extending the lives of adults with congenital heart disease (CHD). ACHA serves and supports the more than one million adults with CHD, their families and the medical community—working with them to address the unmet needs of the long-term survivors of congenital heart defects through education, outreach, advocacy, and promotion of ACHD research. For more information about ACHA, contact (888) 921-ACHA or visit www.achaheart.org.
The ACHA ACHD Accreditation Program was partially funded by Actelion Pharmaceuticals U.S. Inc. ACHA and Actelion Pharmaceuticals have partnered together since 2007 to support the CHD community.
