Heart Failure Accreditation: Embracing Innovation for Success - 2025 Quality Summit Presentation (Non-CE)-Heart Failure Accreditation: Embracing Innovation for Success

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The presentation focuses on updates to the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Heart Failure Accreditation tool and highlights the innovative pharmacist-led virtual heart failure clinic (VPAC) at Sutter Health. Bridget Gilley introduces the streamlined heart failure accreditation tool, now employing a continuous model that auto-fills previous data, bypasses gap analysis for experienced centers, and reduces mandatory requirements by nearly 50%, facilitating quicker accreditation. The tool emphasizes governance, quality improvement, community outreach, pre-hospital care, patient care management, transitions of care, and clinical quality metrics. Two new designations—heart failure outpatient clinic and outpatient pharmacy—support efforts to reduce readmissions and improve guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT).<br /><br />Ardell Seeley presents VPAC, a telehealth clinic where clinical pharmacists provide direct care to heart failure patients, optimizing GDMT, reducing hospitalizations, and improving mortality. The clinic's pilot demonstrated 60% relative risk reduction in cardiac hospitalizations and a 45% reduction in one-year mortality. Patients receive medication titration, lab monitoring, adherence support, and assistance with affordability, relieving provider workload. VPAC employs a global collaborative practice agreement allowing pharmacists to initiate and adjust therapy under provider oversight.<br /><br />The session addresses accreditation questions, underscores the importance of team alignment, and encourages community outreach and standardized care processes using flowcharts and data-driven quality improvement. VPAC’s success hinges on leadership support, provider engagement, and effective patient communication. The integrated model and resources support facilities in improving heart failure care, reducing costs, and enhancing patient outcomes through evidence-based practices and multidisciplinary collaboration.

Keywords

intravascular imaging

percutaneous coronary intervention

IVUS

OCT

cardiovascular care

plaque assessment

stent placement

regulatory challenges

non-invasive imaging

American College of Cardiology

Heart Failure Accreditation

pharmacist-led virtual heart failure clinic

VPAC

Sutter Health

continuous accreditation model

guideline-directed medical therapy

telehealth heart failure care

cardiac hospitalization reduction

multidisciplinary heart failure management