The American College of Cardiology (ACC) Accreditation Services' has been helping hospitals and health systems improve care for patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS), heart failure (HF), and atrial fibrillation (AF). We believe this is best accomplished by using quality and process improvement scientific methods.

To support cardiovascular quality and performance improvement, the ACC's Accreditation Foundation Committee (AFC) provides funding opportunities that support future cardiovascular quality initiatives (QI) and/or performance improvement (PI), particularly those that highlight the importance of ACC's cardiovascular services accreditation. Funding to support these projects is made possible by the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC), which was a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the care and outcomes of patients worldwide with suspected ACS, HF, and AF through innovative cross-disciplinary processes. Its merger with the American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF) in 2016 provided an opportunity to leverage the accreditation strength of the SCPC into the large portfolio of services the ACCF offers. To preserve the legacy of the SCPC, an endowment was created to support future cardiovascular QI or PI, particularly those efforts that demonstrate QI or PI through cardiovascular care accreditation.

In addition to the QI/PI initiative, in 2021 the AFC promoted a Microgrant initiative and awarded 25 grants. The Microgrant initiative focus on public health education to improve community CV outcomes related to early recognition of heart attack symptoms (EHAC) and appropriate action steps. These grant awards are given to hospitals to support their efforts in their local communities through both traditional means such as health fairs, innovative actions (e.g., social media) and/or other outreach activities.

For more information, please visit the FAQs section below or email us at community@acc.org.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Quality Initiatives