The Nebraska Medical Center's Congestive Heart Failure program and Acute Myocardial Infarction program each have received "Gold Seal of Approval" certification from The Joint Commission making these services the first and only nationally certified programs of their kind in the state of Nebraska.

Nationwide, The Nebraska Medical Center is one of thirteen hospitals to be certified in the treatment of Acute Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack), and one of 29 hospitals to be certified in the treatment of Heart Failure. These certifications are based on an organization’s utilization of best practices, compliance with rigorous nationally approved standards as well as demonstration of superior outcomes.

"One of the goals of our Cardiovascular Services is to become a Cardiac Center of Excellence," says Julie Lazure, RN, BSN, director of Cardiovascular Services. "These certifications are important to The Nebraska Medical Center because they demonstrate that our organization has processes in place to meet the high quality standards that the Joint Commission has established for the treatment of Heart Failure and Acute Myocardial Infarction. It also demonstrates that we are committed to differentiate ourselves by providing the highest quality care to our patients."

The heart failure clinic follows hundreds of patients each month using a multi-disciplinary approach to care that follows patients through their entire disease process from prevention to heart transplantation. The Nebraska Medical Center has the only CMS certified heart transplantation program in the state and staffs the state's only certified heart failure specialist and certified heart transplant surgeon.

Joint Commission standards address an organization’s level of performance in key functional areas, such as patient rights, patient treatment and infection control. The standards focus not simply on an organization’s ability to provide safe, high quality care, but on its actual performance as well. Medical centers that meet these performance expectations are more likely to experience positive outcomes. The Joint Commission develops its standards in consultation with health care experts, providers, measurement experts, purchasers and consumers.