Mayo Clinic Cardiac Rehabilitation Program receives national certification

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at Mayo Clinic has received accreditation from the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR).

Cardiac rehabilitation is a medically supervised exercise program that helps patients regain strength after a heart attack, bypass surgery or angioplasty. The program generally starts with a medically supervised walking schedule and progresses to more vigorous, supervised physical training.

Cardiac rehabilitation programs are recognized as vital to the comprehensive care of patients with cardiovascular disease. Clinical studies have shown that cardiac rehabilitation improves survival after a heart attack by more than 50 percent. Unfortunately, some studies indicate that only between 10 and 20 percent of patients needing cardiac rehabilitation services actually receive them.

The AACVPR establishes standards of excellence for cardiac rehabilitation programs, and instituted program certification to recognize organizations that meet or exceed regularly updated standards of care. Program operation at qualifying organizations is evaluated extensively before being granted certification, and accredited programs must re-certify with the AACVPR every three years to maintain their standing.

To receive accreditation, Mayo Clinic's program was evaluated for a 12-month period for adherence to national guidelines and standards of excellence in 19 different categories, including patient safety and treatment protocols. Mayo staff members instrumental in achieving this certification include John J. Lynch, M.D., cardiologist; Ann Royter, R.N., Cardiac Rehab Program supervisor and Holly Bright, exercise physiologist.

Out of 35 outpatient cardiac rehabilitation programs in Arizona and the Southwest, Mayo Clinic's program is one of just eight to receive AACVPR accreditation.

For more information about the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at Mayo Clinic, call (480) 614-6080.

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Mayo Clinic is the first and largest integrated, not-for-profit group practice in the world. As a leading academic medical center in the Southwest, Mayo Clinic focuses on providing specialty and surgical care in more than 65 disciplines at its outpatient facility in north Scottsdale and at Mayo Clinic Hospital. The 244-licensed bed hospital is located at 56th Street and Mayo Boulevard (north of Bell Road) in northeast Phoenix, and provides inpatient care to support the medical and surgical specialties of the clinic, which is located at 134th Street and Shea Boulevard in Scottsdale.

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About Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic is the first and largest integrated, not-for-profit group practice in the world. Doctors from every medical specialty work together to care for patients, joined by common systems and a philosophy of "the needs of the patient come first." More than 3,700 physicians, scientists and researchers and 50,100 allied health staff work at Mayo Clinic, which has sites in Rochester, Minn; Jacksonville, Fla; and Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz. and community based providers in more than 70 locations in Southern Minn., Western Wis. and Northeast Iowa. These locations treat more than half a million people each year. To obtain the latest news releases from Mayo Clinic, go to www.mayoclinic.org/news. For information about research and education, visit www.mayo.edu. MayoClinic.com is available as a resource for your health stories.