Columbia HeartSource, part of Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s Department of Surgery and Division of Cardiology, and Corazon, a national leader in cardiovascular program development, have announced a partnership to provide a first-of-its-kind accreditation for open-heart surgery programs across the United States. This new initiative is designed to support hospitals in delivering high-quality cardiac care while benefiting the communities they serve by establishing measurable standards of excellence that improve patient outcomes.
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The partnership combines Corazon’s extensive experience in program development with Columbia HeartSource’s world-class clinical expertise. Together, they aim to create an open-heart surgery accreditation program that helps hospitals strengthen clinical performance, enhance patient care, and maintain continuous quality improvement through detailed program evaluations, rigorous chart reviews, and ongoing oversight.
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Dr. Craig Smith, Co-Chair of Columbia HeartSource, said that sharing their expertise with hospitals nationwide represents a significant opportunity to elevate cardiac care standards. He emphasized that cardiac surgery outcomes are highly visible and often difficult to manage, and that this accreditation program will assist hospitals of all sizes in improving their surgical programs and delivering exceptional care to patients with heart disease.
Ross Swanson, President of Corazon, described the collaboration as a landmark moment for cardiac care in the United States. He highlighted that this is the first formal accreditation program focused solely on open-heart surgery units nationwide. Swanson explained that hospitals participating in the program will gain access to rigorous clinical oversight and high-level accreditation standards that directly support better patient outcomes in critical care scenarios.
Benjamin Mirtes, CEO of Ingenovis Health, stated that healthcare excellence goes beyond staffing skilled professionals and requires elevating the systems in which they operate. He noted that this new accreditation provides hospitals with a blueprint for superior clinical outcomes, stronger team performance, and improved operational effectiveness. Mirtes said the collaboration with Columbia HeartSource sets a new benchmark for quality and safety in cardiac surgery programs.
The Columbia-Corazon open-heart accreditation program is offered in two tiers. The Basic Tier includes comprehensive chart reviews by Columbia board-certified physicians, program surveys, and quarterly quality assessments. The Enhanced Tier provides a more in-depth evaluation of program standards, continuous review of Society of Thoracic Surgeons data, and ongoing quality improvement planning to further support clinical excellence.
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