Confluence Health honored with two heart care awards

WENATCHEE – Confluence Health announced Thursday in a press release that they were recently awarded the 2023 Award of Excellence in Cardiovascular Surgery by the Foundation for Health Care Quality, as well as a performance award from the American Heart Association.

According to the release, the Award of Excellence was part of the Cardiac Care Outcomes Assessment Program, and this is the second year in a row Confluence Health has been given the award.

“We are very grateful,” said Sasha Kraev, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Confluence Health. “Cardiac surgery is the ultimate team sport, and it takes every single one of us. This could not have happened without true dedication from everyone.”

The release said that COAP is a Washington State quality improvement collaborative with 32 participating sites, with the goal of supporting hospitals and clinicians in achieving the highest levels of patient care and outcomes. To achieve this award, a facility must perform at or better than the state average on at least six of eight key quality indicators during the prior assessment year.

The American Heart Association also honored Confluence Health with the Lifeline NSTEMI Gold achievement award, which acknowledges a commitment to offering rapid, research-based care to people experiencing a specific type of heart attack known as a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction, also known as NSTEMI.

“I’m continually impressed by the care our emergency department, catheterization lab, and inpatient teams provide,” said Geoff Harms, an interventional cardiologist and the cardiac catheterization lab medical director for Confluence Health. “We serve a large geographical area, and we couldn’t do what we do without our critical access hospitals and EMS partners. It’s a coordinated regional effort.”