ighline Medical Center, a part of CHI Franciscan Health, has been recognized by the Battelle Healthcare Colloquium as an Accredited Heart Center. All seven acute-care hospitals in the CHI Franciscan system have achieved this designation.

“We are very pleased that the great work of our providers and staff is being recognized. Our goal is to provide exceptional care here at Highline,” says Mark Benedum, CEO of Highline Medical Center.

Highline Medical Center has focused on areas of improvement including community awareness building, nurse and physician education, palliative care and patient education. This work has enabled patients living with heart failure to participate in their own care. Today, heart failure patients enjoy more independence and experience fewer hospitalizations because of these advances in care.

“Heart failure is a debilitating illness and this recognition and accreditation for our heart failure program reflects the compassionate care and alleviation of suffering that we as a team are providing these patients,” says Tony Saraon, MD, cardiologist and heart failure specialist at Highline Medical Center. “CHI Franciscan and Highline have demonstrated excellence in care and we will continue to improve our heart failure program. The entire staff at Highline should take great pride in this recognition.”

Battelle Healthcare Colloquium’s unique heart failure accreditation process builds on the member hospital’s prior improvement experience leading to initial heart failure accreditation. Member hospitals work within the four established domains of heart failure: Community, Hospital, Clinician and Science using the Colloquiums continuum of care model. Through this accreditation process CHI Franciscan hospitals implement best practices in heart failure care that are integrated into inpatient and outpatient treatment which enables patients to participate in their own medical care. As a Colloquium member CHI Franciscan is able to collaborate and learn from other member hospitals across the country.

“CHI Franciscan Health has demonstrated a powerful commitment to quality by ensuring that each family has become accredited,” says Jeffrey Lewis, MBOE, BSN, RM+N, LSSBM, Member Services Coach and Principal Research Scientist at Battelle. “It highlights their dedication to the communities they serve.”