Adopted January 2013

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), also known as angioplasty, is a non-surgical procedure used to treat excess plaque in the arteries. While the majority of these procedures are done appropriately and successfully as needed for emergency cardiovascular conditions, a significant number are done electively and may not benefit patients in the same way. One way to improve care given to patients is to look at the data on whether past PCI procedures were appropriate. The availability and transparency of this data is a major issue across Washington State hospitals.

To increase data visibility, improve appropriate PCI use, and decrease variation, we recommend building on the efforts of the Clinical Outcomes Assessment Program (COAP), a neutral, third-party quality improvement program of the Foundation for Health Care Quality. All hospitals in Washington State who perform open-heart surgery and PCIs participate in COAP. We recommend that COAP publicly disclose hospitals’ insufficient information reports and the appropriateness of PCI procedures. COAP staff are continuing to monitor rates of insufficient information and PCI appropriateness to assess the impact of public disclosure.

Supporting Materials

Appropriate Use of PCI, 2012, by hospital
Letter from Health Care Authority Accepting Spine SCOAP and Cardiology Recommendations
Article on Appropriateness of PCIs, Journal of the American Medical Association, June 2011: Appropriateness of Percutaneous Coronary Interventions in Washington State; S. Bradley, C. Maynard, C. Bryson; Circulation – Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes – Journal of the American Heart Association; May 8, 2012