The UNC Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) program has received reaccreditation from the Pulmonary Hypertension Association as a Comprehensive Care Center (CCC) for the period 2019-2022, building upon their initial accreditation as the first CCC in the state in 2015. This continued designation recognizes the ability to deliver the highest level of inpatient and outpatient care in a multidisciplinary fashion, as well as participating in cutting edge clinical and translational research in the field.
To facilitate this level of care, the Pulmonary Hypertension Association established across the United States a network of pulmonary hypertension care centers (PHCCs) with special expertise in PH, particularly pulmonary arterial hypertension, to raise the overall quality of care and outcomes for patients with this life-threatening disease. The UNC PH program also participates in the Pulmonary Hypertension Association Registry, collecting data on patient’s diagnosis, clinical course, and outcomes as part of a multicenter registry aimed at quality improvement, as well as increasing understanding of the disease.
The UNC PH Program is directed by H. James Ford, MD, in the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine. Barbara LeVarge, MD, is the associate director and also a member of the division. Ford and LeVarge collaborate closely with Lisa Rose-Jones, MD, in the division of cardiology, who also cares for PH patients at UNC. The clinical program is also strongly supported by two nurse coordinators: Laura Nowicki, RN, and Sara Decker, RN.