Indianapolis, February 22, 2011 -- Patients who receive cardiology services at Wishard Health Services will be in elite company. Starting last month, Wishard became the only hospital in central Indiana and the first fellowship program in the nation to participate in a national cardiovascular program that compares care in 59 different categories. 
Wishard's Cardiology Service is now participating in the Practice Innovation and Clinical Excellence (PINNACLE) national registry, which measures the performance of different metrics of care for patients with coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation and hypertension. The registries are maintained by the American College of Cardiology. 
Wishard's involvement in the groundbreaking registry, the first and largest of its kind in the country, will assist in showing the progression and competency of each of the 11 physicians in the fellowship program while helping Wishard to evaluate if the care given is in line with or exceeding evidence-based guidelines. 
"This registry represents the most advanced data system in health care and will allow our program to be compared with others nationally allowing for us to provide the best care possible to our patients," said Dr. Richard Kovacs, chief of cardiology at Wishard and professor of clinical medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine. 
Other organizations have expressed interest in learning from what Wishard is doing with its Cardiology Service. Just last month, fellows from across the country attended a Wishard informational meeting to learn about the implementation of the registry. 
“Wishard is proud to participate in the PINNACLE registry and to be at the forefront of this national quality improvement program,” said Dr. Lisa E. Harris, CEO and medical director at Wishard Health Services. “This comprehensive management system translates data into clinical insights and is another important tool for measuring quality and efficacy.” 
In 2010, Wishard opened a new Cardiology and Interventional Radiology Center that houses state-of-the-art equipment including the first and only Philips Bi-Plane C-Arm unit in Indiana allowing for full-digital 3-D interventional imaging techniques. It also includes an electrophysiology (EP) lab. 
In the near future, cardiologists at Wishard will have the ability to perform specialized electrophysiology procedures using a cutting edge 3-D mapping system of the patient’s heart. Dr. Anil Yadav, director of the EP lab and associate professor of clinical medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine, indicated that, "This facility will provide timely and life saving cardiac arrhythmia therapy to patients at Wishard." 
The American College of Cardiology (ACC) is a leader in cardiovascular care and disease prevention. The College is a 37,000-member nonprofit medical society that offers education and advocacy to medical professionals and organizations. The ACC helps to develop health policy, standards and guidelines to improve cardiovascular care and practice through the use of products, programs and services.