ACC, ARMUS Corporation launch global initiative to improve heart care

The American College of Cardiology and ARMUS, a health care data management and data science services corporation, are collaborating to launch Global Quality Solutions, a new initiative to improve cardiovascular health at hospitals and health systems around the world through localized quality improvement initiatives. Global Quality Solutions is based on the foundation that quality improvement in cardiac care is seated in solid data collection, measurable outcomes, benchmarking, education and transparency.

“Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, and the ACC is committed to achieving its mission to transform cardiovascular care and improve heart health on a global scale,” said Salim Virani, MD, PhD, FACC, ACC Global Quality Solutions Work Group Chair. “With Global Quality Solutions, ACC is aligning its resources, strategies, tactics and metrics to achieve a greater global impact in reducing heart attack deaths and save lives.”

Through the Global Quality Solutions initiative, ACC and ARMUS will work with hospitals around the world to collect data on cardiovascular procedures using evidence-based algorithms powered by the ACC’s NCDR program – the pioneer and leader in clinical cardiac registries. ARMUS will work directly with hospitals to educate and train on incorporating data collection processes into their workflow and on streamlining how data is integrated into electronic health records. Hospitals will receive initial orientations, then in-person and on-demand trainings on quality improvement best practices, analyzing outcomes data, and planning and implementing organizational change.

“ARMUS Corporation is honored to be chosen as the exclusive provider of data collection, analysis and reporting for this important and first in class worldwide ACC program to improve quality and outcomes in cardiac care. said Gyula I. Sziraczky, President, CEO of ARMUS. “We are confident that our decades of experience and our unique, industry leading technologies will allow this program to grow and flourish to the benefit of patients, caregivers and hospitals on a global basis.”

Global Quality Solutions will initially launch in South Africa, Brazil and Saudi Arabia, and will expand to additional countries and sites in a later phase. In accordance with NCDR Chest Pain and CathPCI registry data sets, three pilot hospitals will conduct beta testing and develop dashboards for tracking quality improvement based on the collected data.

The three pilot sites are:

• Lenmed Ethekwini Hospital and Heart Centre in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

• King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

• Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in Sao Paulo, Brazil

The American College of Cardiology envisions a world where innovation and knowledge optimize cardiovascular care and outcomes. As the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team, the mission of the College and its 54,000 members is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC bestows credentials upon cardiovascular professionals who meet stringent qualifications and leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College also provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research through its world-renowned JACC Journals, operates national registries to measure and improve care, and offers cardiovascular accreditation to hospitals and institutions. For more, visit acc.org.

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