Nationwide Children’s Hospital recently was accepted into the CIGNA LifeSOURCE Transplant Network, becoming the first Center of Excellence (COE) for Pediatric Heart Transplant designated by the Network in the state of Ohio, and one of 25 COE’s in the United States.
With a focus on providing access to nationally recognized institutions for quality transplant care, the CIGNA LifeSOURCE Transplant Network began more than a decade ago with just 13 contracted facilities. Since that time, the number of facilities and transplant services has expanded to more than 115 facilities in 33 states. The Network helps to ensure quality and service to members, clients and participating providers.
This recognition comes on the heels of Nationwide Children’s designation as an OptumHealth Center of Excellence for Pediatric Heart Transplant last month, in which the hospital joined the ranks of the Cleveland Clinic as the only such centers in the state of Ohio. The OptumHealth Centers of Excellence network of elite programs was developed by identifying “best practice” specialty programs throughout the country. These centers provide patients and case managers with access to cost-effective, high-quality pediatric health care.
The Heart Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is a world-class diagnostic, treatment and research facility for pediatric and adult patients with all forms of congenital heart disease and acquired cardiomyopathy. The innovative spirit of the cardiothoracic surgeons and interventional cardiology teams at The Heart Center came together again to bring the technology first developed in the first-of-its-kind Hybrid Catheterization Suites to a state-of-the-art operating suite, opened in 2007.
The heart transplant program at Nationwide Children’s received national accreditation from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) in December 2002 to perform heart transplants, and performed its first heart transplant in April 2003. Heart transplants are available for end-stage cardiac failure unresponsive to medical therapy.
In addition to UNOS accreditation, all thoracic transplant programs at Nationwide Children’s are approved by the Ohio Department of Health and Human Services and accepted into the Ohio Solid Organ Transplant Consortium.