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ACC launches PINNACLE network to link practices, registries together
The network was designed to improve cardiologists’ access to clinical database information.
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The American College of Cardiology has launched a new registry-based CV network to help practitioners deal with practice viability issues and to maintain high-quality clinical care.
According to a press release, the Practice Innovation and Clinical Excellence (PINNACLE) network will become the first registry-based CV network to link cardiology practices with the ACC’s National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR). The registry grew out of the Improving Continuous Cardiac Care (IC3) two-year pilot program, which was designed to test the applicability of a practice-based system on a large scale. According to the PINNACLE website, the IC3 program consisted of about 700 practice locations, thousands of cardiologists and more than 300,000 patient records at its conclusion. The IC3 program was then elevated to the status of a full registry, incorporated into the PINNACLE network and added to the ACC’s NCDR suite of clinical registries.
“The idea here is to create a community of folks who are like-minded about improving quality while protecting their viability as a business by proving their quality of care,” Janet Wright, MD, senior vice president for science and quality at the ACC, told Cardiology Today. “To implement the quality improvement component, there will be educational opportunities through webinars and printed materials and also through access to resources we have tried to gather up and put in one place for participants to access.”
Quarterly benchmark reports provided to practices by the network include patient-focused information on the four common cardiac conditions of CAD, hypertension, HF and atrial fibrillation, as well as some basic information on diabetes management. The reports, according to Wright, will also show practitioners how their practice and quality of care match up with other practices of similar size, as well as with nationally recognized performance measures. Data can be reported and submitted to the PINNACLE network via the internet. Participation in the network is free.
“Participants get this report from an organization they trust, and we have no other oar in the water except for helping to improve performance,” Wright said. “In collecting the information on practice management and financial viability issues all in one place, we hope to keep doctors and nurses doing what they went into medicine to do — that is, practice — rather than looking around for help when we are in a better position to collect this important information for them.” – by Eric Raible