cardiomyopathy accreditation

Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Pediatric Cardiomyopathy Program recently received accreditation from the Children’s Cardiomyopathy Foundation for consistently providing high-quality cardiac care and specialized disease management to children with cardiomyopathy.

The hospital’s Cardiomyopathy Program is the only one accredited in South Florida and the second one in the state.

“This designation is a confirmation to the caliber of care we provide to our patients with cardiomyopathy and to the specialized team that works with these very special patients who have cardiomyopathy,” said Maryanne Chrisant, Medical Director, Pediatric Cardiac Transplant, Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathy at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. “We are very proud of this distinction.

Cardiomyopathy is a chronic heart disease that affects how the heart pumps blood through the body and is known to be the leading cause of sudden cardiac arrest in the young.

Two out of three children who suffer from cardiomyopathy do not have a known cause, and 40 percent of all diagnosed children will either receive a heart transplant or die. Like other chronic illnesses, pediatric cardiomyopathy requires a team approach to providing comprehensive care.

 

Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Cardiomyopathy program is one of the fastest-growing in Florida with nationally recognized experts in pediatric cardiology. The program offers a full suite of treatment options for arrhythmias, heart failure and other conditions.

It also offers a host of screenings, including genetic testing and counseling and sports heart screening for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Center accreditation is based on data reported by hospitals and cross referenced against CCF’s center requirements.

Centers meeting CCF’s criteria are designated as a CCF-accredited center of care for two years. In general, accredited centers manage a high volume of pediatric cardiomyopathy patients, offer a variety of pediatric patient services, specialize in the treatment and management of cardiomyopathy in children, and are affiliated with an academic research institution. Information about CCF’s Accredited Center of Care program and selection criteria is available on CCF’s website.

“The accreditation program aims to identify centers with expertise in pediatric cardiomyopathy and provides families with standardized information to help them locate the top treatment centers,” said Lisa Yue, CCF’s founding executive director. “We are happy to include Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital among the list of highly skilled and experienced hospitals that specialize in treating all forms of cardiomyopathy in children”