Heart Failure Centre of Excellence Designation
DNV’s Heart Failure Centre of Excellence Designation (HFCED) recognizes hospitals that consistently deliver high performing, coordinated care across the full continuum, from diagnosis and acute treatment to chronic management and community-based support.
Heart Failure Centre of Excellence Designation
Meeting the complex challenges of heart failure care
Heart failure is not just a clinical challenge – it is a systems challenge. It is a leading cause of hospitalization in adults over 65 and contributes significantly to mortality, morbidity, and healthcare costs worldwide.
As prevalence rises, hospitals must respond with a proactive, team-based, and data-informed approach that bridges gaps across care settings. Patients living with heart failure often require a combination of acute intervention, long-term disease management, lifestyle modification, education, and emotional support. Achieving high-quality outcomes demands coordination, consistency, and continuous performance improvement.
Organizations that succeed in reducing readmissions, preventing complications, and improving patient quality of life are those that:
- Support multidisciplinary collaboration.
- Align with clinical best practices.
- Embrace system-wide accountability.
- Maintain a strong focus on patient engagement and education.
How our Heart Failure Centre of Excellence Designation supports you
DNV’s Heart Failure Centre of Excellence Designation is a prestigious recognition that validates the effectiveness and maturity of your heart failure program. It signals to your patients, staff, and community that your organization meets the highest standards of care.
This designation is awarded to hospitals that demonstrate the ability to deliver:
- Integrated, multidisciplinary services.
- Consistent use of evidence-based protocols.
- Strong patient education and support programs.
- Continuous quality measurement and improvement.
- Effective transitions across inpatient, outpatient, and community-based care.
- To achieve this designation, hospitals must obtain DNV certification in two heart failure -related service lines such as the Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) Facility Credentialing Program and the Heart Failure Advanced Certification.
The evaluation process includes a comprehensive on-site review of program components, clinical outcomes, staff training, and leadership oversight. Standards are aligned with guidance from the American Heart Association (AHA), American College of Cardiology (ACC), and European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
What sets DNV’s approach apart
A whole-system framework for lasting improvement:
While many programs focus only on episodic care, this designation emphasizes a continuum-of-care model to ensure patients are supported before, during, and after hospitalization. We help organizations build heart failure programs that are:
- Holistic: Addressing medical, behavioural, and social determinants of health.
- Scalable: Flexible enough to grow with your organization’s needs.
- Measurable: Anchored in data, quality outcomes, and real-world impact.
- Our risk-based, education-focused approach is based on:
- Evaluation conducted by experienced clinical surveyors with specialized cardiovascular knowledge.
- Emphasis on collaboration, education, and continuous learning.
- Built on the foundation of ISO 9001 quality management principles and aligned to the Conditions of Participation (CoPs) from the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
- Reduces documentation burden focused on performance, not paperwork.
- Encourages the adoption of best practices across all levels of care.
Trusted experts in healthcare accreditation and certification
DNV is a globally leading certification body with a long history in healthcare accreditation and certification. Our designation process is built on a foundation of:
- Clinical credibility: Our surveyors are peer-level clinicians who understand your daily realities.
- Process excellence: Our ISO-based methodology supports system-wide integration and improvement.
- Strategic alignment: We help align clinical performance with executive goals and payer expectations.
With DNV, designation is not just a milestone, it’s a tool to optimize performance, elevate reputation, and inspire lasting change.
Benefits of HFCED
Clinical and operational excellence:
- Reinforces adherence to guidelines-based treatment protocols.
- Supports multidisciplinary teamwork, clinical integration, and accountability.
- Facilitates early detection, intervention, and long-term disease management.
Organizational reputation and strategy:
- Enhances your hospital’s reputation as a leader in cardiovascular care.
- Builds public trust and referral confidence among patients and providers.
- Aligns with payer and regulatory requirements around value-based care.
- Positions your hospital for success in future accreditation or certification reviews.
Staff and patient impact:
- Drives professional pride and shared purpose among clinical teams.
- Improves patient satisfaction, adherence, and health literacy.
- Reduces hospital readmissions and complications.
- Demonstrates a culture of excellence, empathy, and accountability.
- Your commitment recognized.
