Virtua receives angioplasty approval
New Jersey Commissioner of Health and Senior Services
Heather Howard notified Virtua Health today that she approved a certificate of need for Virtua Marlton to continue participation in the Johns Hopkins elective angioplasty demonstration project along with 11 other New Jersey hospitals.
"We are pleased that, in addition to Commissioner Howard, the State Health Planning Board and the staff at the Department of Health and Senior Services all support this decision," said
Richard P. Miller, Virtua President and CEO. "We applaud their recognition that the demonstration project should be continued based on a thorough evaluation of the process, the safety and quality, and the data collected." Miller added that the results of this project will benefit not only the state, but also the nation.
Virtua is resolute that patient safety is paramount to the demonstration project. This project has been more closely scrutinized by regulators and the public than any other healthcare issue in recent years. Virtua's program is overseen by Johns Hopkins project director
Thomas Aversano, M.D.; the Johns Hopkins Institutional Review Board (IRB); by an Independent Data Safety and Monitoring Board which has the authority to stop the study at any time; by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services; and by Virtua's own IRB.
"Due to advances in technology, the frontiers of medicine are rapidly advancing and improving patient access," said
James Dwyer, D.O., Virtua Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer. "In the not too distant past, angioplasty was only performed at hospitals that had cardiac surgery on site. Today, elective and emergency angioplasty is safely and routinely performed at hospitals with off-site cardiac surgery back-up."
Virtua is a comprehensive healthcare system that provides advanced medicine to patients in our region and beyond. Many complicated procedures are performed at Virtua facilities, including aneurysm repair, spine surgery, endovascular surgery, stroke treatment using teleneurology, joint replacement and angioplasty.
As one of New Jersey’s largest health systems, Virtua helps people be well, get well and stay well through a comprehensive range of health care services. Services are delivered through three health and wellness centers, three fitness centers, four acute care hospitals, primary and specialty physician practices with more than 240 physicians, urgent care centers, seven ambulatory surgery centers, home health services, two long-term care and rehabilitation centers, 12 paramedic units and a wide range of outpatient services. A leader in maternal and child health services, Virtua delivers almost 8,000 babies a year. Virtua also provides employment and wellness services to 1,700 businesses and corporations. An innovator in clinical and information technology such as electronic medical records, Virtua is recognized for its ground-breaking partnerships with
GE Healthcare,
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the
Fox Chase Cancer Center. It is the official orthopedic provider for the
Philadelphia Flyers. Virtua employs more than 8,400 people and has been honored as the #1 Best Place to Work in the Delaware Valley for seven consecutive years. It is the recipient of the Consumer Choice Award from the National Research Corporation. For more information, visit
www.virtua.org or
www.virtuabroadcastnetwork.org.