News Release

FORT WAYNE — Lutheran Hospital’s heart transplant and ventricular assist device program has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for its VAD program by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects a health care organization’s commitment to providing safe, quality patient care.

Lutheran Hospital underwent a rigorous onsite review during a visit with a team of Joint Commission reviewers who evaluated compliance with VAD program standards spanning several areas including compliance with national standards, clinical guidelines and outcomes of care.

The Joint Commission’s standards are developed in consultation with health care experts and providers, measurement experts and patients. They are informed by scientific literature and expert consensus to help health care organizations measure, assess and improve performance. The surveyors also conducted onsite observations and interviews.

“Working with The Joint Commission enables us to set the bar to ensure our program is providing the highest quality of care,” said Hannah Copeland, M.D., cardiothoracic surgeon at Lutheran Hospital. “This intensive review process has allowed us to demonstrate how our patients are not just surviving but thriving with their VAD — going back to work, participating in family and social activities they’ve missed for years and really doing whatever they were doing before heart failure with gusto.”

While the Lutheran Hospital VAD program uses The Joint Commission standards as guidelines to ensure there is always a high level of care for every patient, partnering with it through the certification process every two years also allows the team to share its successes and learn what other high-performing programs across the country are implementing to bring more best practices and innovations to local patients.

One particular program practice Lutheran Hospital was commended for was its enhanced recovery after surgery non-narcotic protocol. This effort in VAD post-surgery pain management has proven to be successful in helping patients recover more quickly without the use of narcotics.

“As a private accreditor, The Joint Commission surveys health care organizations to protect the public by identifying deficiencies in care and working with those organizations to correct them as quickly and sustainably as possible,” says Mark Pelletier, RN, MS, chief operating officer, Accreditation and Certification Operations, and chief nursing executive, The Joint Commission. “We commend Lutheran Hospital for its continuous quality improvement efforts in patient safety and quality of care.”