St. Luke’s Receives Iowa’s Only Transcatheter Valve Certification for a Second Time

St. Luke’s Receives Iowa’s Only Transcatheter Valve Certification for a Second Time The American College of Cardiology (ACC) recently recognized UnityPoint Health - St. Luke's Hospital for its demonstrated expertise and commitment in treating patients receiving transcatheter aortic valve repair (TAVR) and replacement procedures. This is the second time the hospital has received this honor, and St. Luke's Heart Care is the only program in the state to have achieved the designation. St. Luke's received its first designation in 2021 and was the first in Cedar Rapids to perform the procedure in 2016.

TAVR is a minimally invasive procedure for patients with severe aortic valve stenosis. It involves replacing the aortic valve via catheter and is an alternative to open heart surgery. St. Luke's was awarded ACC's Transcatheter Valve Certification based on evaluation of the staff's ability to meet standards for multidisciplinary teams, formalized training, shared decision-making and registry performance.

TAVR Certification is an external review and certification process that pairs with established national clinical databases to monitor patient safety and real-world outcomes related to transcatheter valve therapies. Participation in established national clinical databases such as the Society for Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology Transcatheter Valve Therapies (STS/ACC TVT) Registry is required for hospitals interested in achieving Transcatheter Valve Certification.

The certification uses established national clinical measures to support clinical decisions and links process improvement to patient outcomes.

Hospitals that achieve Transcatheter Valve Certification learn best practices for implementing evidence-based medicine to support patient-centered decision-making and can track key performance metrics to better identify opportunities for improvement.

The ACC offers U.S. and international hospitals like St. Luke's access to a comprehensive suite of cardiac accreditation services designed to optimize patient outcomes and improve hospital financial performance. These services are focused on all aspects of cardiac care, including transcatheter valve therapies.