PHA Expands Network of Centers for Comprehensive Care

The Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) has expanded its Pulmonary Hypertension Care Centers (PHCC) network by accrediting two new pulmonary hypertension (PH) programs as Centers for Comprehensive Care (CCC).

The two new additions, the Pulmonary Hypertension Programs at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, in Cincinnati, Ohio, and at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, join a list of 42 other programs in 28 U.S. states that have joined PHCC since 2014.

According to a press release, these additions bring to 54 the number of PHCC programs — 43 adult and eight pediatric CCCs, along with three adult Regional Clinical Programs (RCPs).

PHCC program coordinators report that even though the applications are being received from all over the U.S., the initiative’s original focus remains consistent with the idea of raising the overall quality of life for PH patients and caregivers.

Another initiative of the PHA aligned with this mission is the program’s PHA Registry (PHAR), a multi-center, prospective, observational registry of newly evaluated patients diagnosed at accredited U.S. centers with either pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) or chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH).

The PHA encourages all PHCC members to participate in the registry, to measure and improve quality of life, and learn more about the relationship between adherence to expert-recommended strategies and patient outcomes.

PHAR members help collect baseline information when a patient is initially assessed and at follow-up every six months. As of July, PHAR has more than  including 300 patients enrolled in 26 accredited programs.

Also in July, the PHA launched online classrooms for patients and caregivers to help patients and loved ones understand the disease better and learn about expert-informed strategies.

The PHA Classroom offers access to live webinars and educational material covering all aspects of the condition, from treatment and medication to lifestyle changes. The intuitive resource explains what PH is and how it affects patients, presents tips to improve quality of life based on diet, exercise and lifestyle choices, and provides advice for the newly diagnosed. The PHA Classroom also informs about insurance and related healthcare issues.

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