The new certification will use existing clinical registry data from STS and ACC to measure patient outcomes while reducing reporting burden for hospitals.
Joint Commission has partnered with the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) to develop a new cardiac care certification based on clinical performance data and patient outcomes.
The certification will rely on three widely used patient registries: the STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database, the ACC CathPCI Registry, and the joint STS/ACC TVT Registry for organizations that perform transcatheter aortic valve replacement procedures.
Hospitals seeking the certification will use the same data they already submit to these registries, allowing the certification to be based on existing outcomes data rather than additional reporting requirements.
“At a time of both rapid advancement in medicine and increasing complexity in healthcare, we must ensure that patients not only have access to quality care, but also that they can have confidence in the care they are getting,” says Jonathan B. Perlin, MD, PhD, president and CEO of Joint Commission, in a release. “At the same time, it is critical to ease the burden on busy clinicians and healthcare organizations, so they can focus on delivering great care. By harnessing registries from trusted specialty societies like STS and ACC, we can do both. This new certification along with Joint Commission’s other next generation-certification programs shift the focus from primarily observation of structure and process toward outcome measures.”
Joint Commission first previewed the next generation of certification programs last summer as part of its Accreditation 360 initiative. The new cardiac certification is designed to connect accreditation more directly with real-world clinical performance.
Clinical Registry
The STS National Database is one of the largest clinical registries for cardiothoracic procedures and is widely used to track surgical outcomes.
“This partnership reflects a shared commitment to advancing the highest standards of quality and patient safety in cardiac surgery,” said Joseph F Sabik III, MD, president of the STS, in a release. “By bringing the nation’s most trusted cardiac surgery outcomes data from the STS National Database into Joint Commission’s certification program, we can give hospitals a more meaningful way to demonstrate excellence, improve care, and reduce unnecessary administrative burden.
“For surgeons, this means their programs can more easily demonstrate excellence, strengthen their position with hospital leadership, and differentiate themselves in an increasingly outcomes-driven health care environment,” adds Sabik.
The ACC CathPCI Registry tracks characteristics, treatments, and outcomes for patients undergoing diagnostic cardiac catheterization and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
“The CathPCI Registry has evolved well beyond its initial purpose,” says Richard Kovacs, MD, MACC, chief medical officer of the ACC, in a release. “It is a cornerstone for advancing the quality of cardiovascular care and generating high-quality evidence that informs clinical decision-making in the cath lab. Integrating CathPCI Registry data into Joint Commission’s new cardiac certification allows cardiovascular teams and health systems to more clearly quantify the real-world impact of their patient care and clinical expertise.”
The STS/ACC TVT Registry, created jointly by STS and ACC, tracks patient safety and outcomes for transcatheter valve replacement and repair procedures.
Joint Commission says the new cardiac certification is part of a broader shift toward outcomes-based certification programs that rely on clinical performance data. The organization plans to begin engaging with healthcare organizations interested in the certification in the first quarter of 2026.
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