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Cooley Dickinson’s Cardiac Rehab Department earns certification

NORTHAMPTON — Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s Cardiac Pulmonary Rehabilitation Department has applied for and earned certification from the American Assoc. of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR). Certification from the AACVPR indicates that CDH’s Cardiac Rehabilitation program meets “essential standards of care,” according to the organization’s Web site.

Kathleen Bowers, M.Ed, RN C says the process to become certified involved a year’s worth of data collection. “The application for certification requires that we provide a lot of documentation, including proof of staff and physician credentialing, competencies, quality outcome data related to the care of cardiac patients and other data. We applied for certification in November of 2007 and were notified last week of the news.

“This is a huge accomplishment on the part of the staff and physicians who should be very proud that what they do on a daily basis is recognized by this national organization as meeting this high standard,” she added. In addition to Berkshire Medical Center, Bowers noted that Cooley Dickinson Hospital is the second program in Western Mass. to earn certification from the AACVPR.

Cardiologist Dr. Thomas Quinn is the Cardiac Rehabilitation program’s medical director, and one of the founding partners of Northampton Cardiology Associates of Florence.

Cooley Dickinson offers a variety of cardiovascular services in Northampton that use advanced and innovative technologies, treatments, and techniques. The Cardiovascular Program includes the cardiovascular suite, critical care/coronary care unit, telemetry unit, diagnostic cardiology, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, the congestive heart failure program, Caring for your Heart education and support, the anticoagulation clinic, and interventional radiology.

Cooley Dickinson’s AACVPR certification is good through August 2011. Founded in 1985, AACVPR is dedicated to the professional development of its members through information, networking, and educational opportunities. Central to the mission is the improvement in the quality of life for patients and their families.

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