Children’s Hospital Part of Select National Network of Congenital Heart Centers
Posted on November 21st, 2003
The Children’s Hospital of Illinois at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center is one of seven hospitals* in the United States to be named to the Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) Resource Services Network. The designation was announced at a news conference held today at the Children’s Hospital.
The CHD Resources Services Network was established after an evaluation of 65 pediatric cardiac programs in the United States. Those selected had programs that “…demonstrated excellence in care, outstanding surgical procedure outcomes and a history of treating large numbers of complex CHD conditions.” (from notification letter) Other criteria included using a multidisciplinary approach to care and excellent communication between referring physicians and the pediatric heart specialists at Children’s Hospital.
The designation will attract complicated cases to Peoria as United Resource Networks (URN) of Minneapolis works with patients, family members and physicians throughout the United States to identify qualified centers of excellence. URN has evaluated and contracted with providers of specialized healthcare since 1989.
Cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Dale Geiss heads up the pediatric cardiac program at Children’s Hospital. He was the primary resource for URN in its credentialing review. According to Geiss, the announcement is a tribute to all involved in the care of children with cardiac problems. “Any time a designation such as that from URN is received, it means we have outstanding staff throughout the process. The techs and nurses in all aspects of diagnosing, treating and rehabbing are absolutely top-notch,” he said.
Children’s Hospital of Illinois was notified of its designation in a letter received from Dr. Richard J. Migliori, CEO of United Resources Networks.
*The six other hospitals included in URN’s Congenital Heart Disease Resource Services Network are:
• Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles;
• Children’s Hospital of Boston;
• University of Michigan Hospitals in Ann Arbor;
• The Cleveland Clinic Foundation;
• The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; and
• Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN.
