VAD Program Is Recertified by The Joint Commission, Completes 100th Case
In October 2011, The Joint Commission (TJC) awarded Emory’s Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) Program disease-specific care certification for destination therapy for the second time, identifying no requirements for improvement. TJC first certified the VAD Program for destination therapy in August 2009. This approval is necessary for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to continue providing reimbursement for the care of patients receiving VAD destination therapy at Emory University Hospital.
Emory implanted its first left VAD (LVAD) in 1988 and implanted Georgia’s first VAD as a form of destination therapy in 2006. In November 2011, the Emory team performed its 100th VAD procedure. In 2008, Emory celebrated the 20-year anniversary of its heart transplant program and its 500th adult heart transplant. Emory’s cardiothoracic surgeons perform an average of 25 adult heart transplants each year and implant both investigational and approved LVAD devices. Sonjoy Laskar, MD, is the medical director of the Emory Heart & Vascular Center VAD Program and David Vega, MD, is the Program’s surgical director.
