Improving insights involving diagnostic catheterization and percutaneous coronary interventions The CathPCI Registry® is a powerful tool that assesses the characteristics, treatments, and outcomes of cardiac disease patients who receive diagnostic catheterization and/or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures. In use at 60 percent of our nation’s cardiac catheterization labs, the CathPCI Registry gives you the quality benchmarking data you need to see how your lab’s performance compares with like-sized labs and the national aggregate; to set achievable performance goals; and to develop quality improvement plans that help you meet those goals. The registry’s vast collection of patient data—more than eight million patient records from participating hospitals, freestanding laboratories, and adult cardiology practices—is used to reduce door-to-balloon times, control costs associated with preventable procedural complications and longer hospitalizations, and more. The CathPCI Registry is recognized by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and CMS as a premier data repository for measuring quality in the cath lab, and its risk-adjusted PCI mortality rate has been adopted by the National Quality Forum (NQF) and The Leapfrog Group as a desirable means for assessing quality in lieu of volume criteria alone. Participation is recognized by numerous states and private payers both for reporting and for meeting P4P requirements.

Reframing a question as old as angioplasty itself How safe are PCIs when performed in centers without on-site cardiac surgical backup? Findings released in 2008, based on analysis of CathPCI Registry data in the largest national study of its kind, indicate that patient outcomes are similar. But does this fact end the controversy or merely redefine the question? The CathPCI Registry offers some additional insights. The off-site programs that participated in the study performed fewer than the annual PCI volume of 200 procedures that current guidelines recommend, but 92 percent of them were fully prepared to perform PCIs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And, perhaps just as important, the centers without off-site backup were active registry participants that demonstrated a strong commitment to quality. For additional information about the CathPCI Registry, view the CathPCI Registry Program Overview.