Synopsis
Quality is in SCAI's DNA. One of the organization's founding tenets and enduring values involves the commitment to cath lab quality. The original cath lab registry was 'ours'. The interventional world has become a much more complicated and diverse environment. Moreover, data measurements alone are insufficient to affect or maintain change. For sustainable quality, leadership, a multidisciplinary team, and physician champions are critical components of successful programs.
Although we usually think of quality from a facility standpoint, individual operators are responsible for quality. Unnecessary variability is known to contribute to worse outcomes and increased costs. Dealing with real or perceived outliers is often difficult and frequently political. Strategies to address these issues are essential for a successful quality program.
Quality is a team sport and a journey, not a destination arrived at independently. Establishing a quality culture is more than numbers and checkboxes. It can be sustainable but also faces challenges. Help is available.
Bonnie H. Weiner, MD, MSEC, MBA, MSCAI
Dr. Weiner’s interventional career began in 1978, and she joined SCAI shortly thereafter. Following undergraduate education at Mills College and medical school at the University of Oregon, she completed her medical training at Norwalk Hospital and Cardiology at the University of Massachusetts, where she remained on the faculty for 25 years. During this tenure, she served as Director of the Cath Lab and the only mobile lab in New England. Dr. Weiner’s career also demonstrates an extensive commitment to research and education, including clinical trials, and recently as General Cardiology Fellowship Director at St. Vincent Hospital and President of Imaging Core Lab Services.
Following participation in or chairing multiple SCAI committees, including the Lab Survey, Registry, Website taskforce, BOT, and Development, Dr. Weiner served as SCAI president. In addition, she was honored to be a member of the first MSCAI class. In 2009 SCAI supported the formation of Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence (ACE), of which Dr. Weiner currently serves as its Chief Medical Officer, further exemplifying her commitment to quality in catheter-based procedures.