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What's New at NCDR and ACC Accreditation Services

Stay up to date with the latest news from ACC NCDR and Accreditation Services, where data, accreditation and collaboration come together to drive meaningful improvements in cardiovascular care.

Celebrating Ten Years of Excellence

As ACC NCDR and Accreditation Services celebrates 10 years together, we reflect on a decade of progress, collaboration, and measurable improvement in cardiovascular care. Together with our partners, we remain focused on driving innovation, quality, and better outcomes for patients nationwide.

New Accreditation Designation

10 Years Together

NEW Chest Pain Center Accreditation Cardiogenic Shock Designations!

New standards focused on early recognition and escalation of cardiogenic shock. Presales will be available in late spring 2026. Stay tuned for tools and resources to support your planning.

News Stories and Journal Scans

Explore the latest ACC NCDR and Accreditation articles and stay informed about updates, insights and key developments.

CMS Proposes Updates to TAVR National Coverage Determination

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ACC Streamlines Cardiac Accreditation for Hospital Systems

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ACC HeartCARE Center Designation Hits 100 Hospital Milestone

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NCDR Study: Prevalence and Outcomes of PCI Performed at Facilities Without On-Site Cardiac Surgery

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NCDR Study: Off-Label Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Interventions Demonstrate Reduced Residual TR, Improved QOL

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QI.PI Project Grant Recipient Develops Digital Biomarker for PAD Screening


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Stay Connected to Quality and Practice Excellence

U.S. News and World Report

In the 2026 U.S. News and World Report "Best Hospitals" issues annual ad insert, the ACC recognizes the more than 2,000 hospitals, health systems and centers participating in NCDR and/or Accreditation Services.

 

ACC CV Quality SmartBrief

The ACC CV Quality SmartBrief eNewsletter is a free, twice-weekly briefing for health care stakeholders interested in quality care.

Learn more about the ACC CV Quality SmartBrief and subscribe.

Connect Through DocMatter

ACC members can deepen their engagement through DocMatter, the College's exclusive, secure online community. DocMatter connects over 65,000 cardiovascular professionals to provide a trusted space to exchange insights, discuss clinical and operational challenges, and stay informed about ACC NCDR and Accreditation programs and initiatives.

ACC members can access DocMatter as part of their membership.

From The ACC

Explore the latest news and insights from the American College of Cardiology shaping cardiovascular quality, care delivery, and accreditation.

  • Hospital-acquired infections dropped 27% from 2015 to 2023

    Hospital-acquired infections at US facilities decreased 27% from 2015 to 2023, primarily because of declines in Clostridioides difficile infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections and central catheter-associated bloodstream infections, according to CDC data. However, the study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, found room for improvement in surgical site infections and nonventilator-associated pneumonia. MedPage Today (free registration) (7/15) Learn More

  • Hospitals need to improve tech for post-acute care handoff

    Hospitals need to modernize patient transitions to post-acute care, as the current process relies heavily on outdated methods such as faxing, writes Anne Tumlinson of ATI Advisory. This under-engineered handoff often leads to medication errors and increased healthcare costs. While technology exists to streamline this process, hospitals have not had sufficient incentives to invest. The need is becoming more pressing as the population ages and hospital discharge delays increase. U.S. News & World Report (7/14) Learn More

  • Panel enables rapid pneumonia diagnosis, antibiotic optimization

    A rapid molecular diagnostic pneumonia panel has been linked to earlier antibiotic optimization for critically ill pneumonia patients, particularly in hospitals with strong antimicrobial stewardship programs, according to a study in Clinical Infectious Diseases. The study, which involved 11,746 patients, found that the BioFire FilmArray Pneumonia Panel improved early antimicrobial de-escalation and appropriate therapy, with a median result time of 4.3 hours. Infectious Disease Advisor (7/13) Learn More

  • AAMI revises hospital sterilization standard for safety

    The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation revised its American National Standard for hospital steam sterilizers, adding new performance, safety, labeling and testing protocols for manufacturers. The updated standard reflects current scientific thinking, adds separate moisture tension testing, removes drying time from biological performance testing, and adopts the term "immediate-use steam sterilization" instead of "flash sterilization." Becker's Hospital Review (7/14) Learn More

  • Nebraska study guides prehospital blood allocation

    Researchers in Nebraska used hospital transfusion records to pinpoint the geographic areas where blood is most needed before patients reach trauma centers. Researchers analyzed the locations of every case at five trauma centers where massive transfusion protocols were activated, with the goal of helping to plan for prehospital blood use. "As prehospital blood programs continue to expand, there will likely be increasing need for regional planning regarding product allocation, communication pathways, and surge capacity coordination between blood centers, EMS agencies, and hospitals during mass casualty or disaster events," Dr. Daniela Hermelin said. Medscape (7/14) Learn More

  • Pediatric hospitals take steps to deal with drug shortages

    Pediatric hospitals have developed formal infrastructure to help manage drug shortages, which are challenging due to specialized needs, such as smaller vial sizes and preservative-free formulations. Sixteen pediatric drugs are in active shortage, with six related to IV fluids and additives. Initiatives include dedicated committees and proactive supply management, but leaders say systemic changes are needed, including increased manufacturing of essential medications, greater supply chain transparency and pediatric-specific allocation strategies. Becker's Hospital Review (7/15) Learn More

  • Bioprosthetic valves tied to higher delivery in young women

    A study in JACC found that women of childbearing age who underwent surgical aortic valve replacement with bioprosthetic valves had higher delivery rates but also higher rates of spontaneous abortion and reintervention, compared with those who received mechanical valves. The study, which used data from a Swedish registry, found a 15-year cumulative incidence of delivery at 54% for bioprosthetic valve recipients, compared with 9.5% for mechanical valve recipients. The incidence of spontaneous abortion was 12.6% for bioprosthetic valve recipients and 3.4% for mechanical valve recipients. Medscape (7/10) Learn More

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