The CHI St. Vincent Infirmary is now recognized as a Joint Commission Certified Center of Excellence for its Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) Program. An LVAD is a surgically implanted mechanical pump that is attached to the heart and is used to treat advanced heart failure.

Before awarding the Center of Excellence designation, The Joint Commission (TJC) completed a thorough, two-day review of the LVAD (Left Ventricular Assist Device) Program. The Joint Commission reviewed our standards for clinical practice and performance meeting with Dr. Thurston Bauer, surgical director, cardiothoracic surgeon; Dr. Muhammad Waqas, director of the Advanced Heart Failure program; Roger Swayze, LVAD program director; Blake Towell, LVAD coordinator; and Barbara Hobby, nurse educator.

This achievement recognizes CHI St. Vincent as an organization that meets rigorous standards to support adults with heart failure. The requirements are based on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requirements for:

• patient eligibility
• care coordination
• physician and staff licensing, education and training
• post-surgical and follow-up care

As a Center of Excellence, the CHI St. Vincent LVAD program mission is to improve the health of the people and the communities we serve through advanced heart failure therapies and research. Our team provides patient-centered care with the latest research and the best technologies through a multidisciplinary team approach.

Learn More

• CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute
• Heart Failure