Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center earned a heart failure accreditation for demonstrating expertise in treating the condition. 

The American College of Cardiology awarded the hospital a Heart Failure Accreditation with Outpatient Services, according to a Novant release Monday. Only three hospitals in North Carolina including NHRMC have earned the accreditation, the release states, “which is based on the ability to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients with heart failure through pre-hospital care, early stabilization, acute care, transitional care, clinical quality measures and more.” 

The accreditation is effective through 2025. 

When treating heart failure, a chronic condition whereby the heart can’t deliver enough blood to meet the body’s blood and oxygen demands, hospitals that use “an evidence-based, protocol-driven and systematic approach” can reduce treatment times. Using these approaches also allows professionals to identify high-risk patients. 

“We are proud of the entire heart failure team, led by Dr. John Rommel and Rachel Hayworth, for working tirelessly to earn this accreditation for the care we provide our patients across southeastern North Carolina,” Dr. William Smith, coastal region clinical physician executive for the Novant Health Heart & Vascular Institute, said in the release. 

The American College of Cardiology’s accreditation report noted NHRMC’s heart failure case management services. Once patients leave the hospital, nurses regularly call to check in on their condition or check in for home visits for those eligible. The hospital’s use of a wearable lung fluid measurement technology helped reduce the number of returning patients, per the release. 

“Heart failure is a serious condition that can worsen over time, which is why it’s vital we do everything we can to slow progression and support patients so they can be as healthy as possible,” Dr. John Rommel, a Novant Health Heart & Vascular Institute cardiologist, said in the release. "We care for each patient using a team approach, and I am incredibly grateful for our pharmacist, case managers, outpatient nurses and care providers who tirelessly support individuals with heart failure."