(New Brunswick, NJ) – Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) Program Re-Certification by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects a health care organization’s commitment to providing safe and quality patient care. RWJUH is an RWJBarnabas Health facility. This is the fifth consecutive time that RWJUH has achieved this prestigious designation.
The re-certification recognizes health care organizations that provide clinical programs across the continuum of care for Ventricular Assist Device support for patients with end-stage heart failure. The certification evaluates how organizations use clinical outcomes and performance measures to identify opportunities to improve care, as well as to educate and prepare patients and their caregivers for discharge.
The VAD Program is part of RWJUH’s Advanced Heart Failure, VAD and Transplant Program, which offers the full spectrum of care for end-stage heart failure patients, including left ventricular assist devices, access to clinical trials and Medicare-certified heart transplant services. RWJUH has dedicated a multidisciplinary team of physicians, coordinators, nurse practitioners, a social worker and a nutritionist solely for the program.
In addition to the TJC re-certification, RWJUH’s Heart Transplant and VAD programs were recently named Centers of Excellence by OPTUM, the largest private health insurance company in the United States. This prestigious designation reflects the highest standards of quality, safety, and patient outcomes in advanced heart failure care. It also ensures greater access to care for patients covered under OPTUM insurance plans.
RWJUH was also rated High Performing in the treatment of Chronic Heart Failure in the 2025-26 U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals edition. Only 500 heart and vascular programs nationwide received this rating, out of more than 6,000 evaluated.
“As a leading academic medical center, we are proud to offer residents of our state and region advanced therapies, such as VADs and heart transplants in partnership with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS),” said Maya Guglin, MD, PhD, Section Chief, Heart Failure, RWJUH and Professor of Medicine, RWJMS. “This re-certification and the Optum Center of Excellence designation affirm RWJUH’s position as a leader in VAD and heart failure technology. It is our mission to offer end-stage heart failure patients hope and we remain committed to providing patients with the most advanced, life-saving technologies as a bridge to transplant, a therapeutic option for heart recovery, or as a permanent therapy for individuals who are not eligible for transplant.”
RWJUH CEO Bill Arnold added, “Earning this certification is testament to the hard work and commitment by our team to provide the highest standard of personalized, quality care for our patients. We are deeply appreciative of the spirit of collaboration and teamwork that exists among our surgeons, physicians, nurses, social workers, nutritionists and coordinators who worked together seamlessly to make this prestigious designation possible.”
RWJUH’s VAD Program underwent a rigorous, onsite review in May. During the visit, the Joint Commission reviewer met with many members of our VAD team led by Dr. Guglin; Chonyang Albert, MD, Medical Director, Left Ventricular Assist Device & Mechanical Circulatory Support, RWJUH and Assistant Professor of Medicine, Hirohisa Ikegami, MD, Surgical Director of RWJUH’s Advanced Heart Failure, VAD and Transplant Program; and RWJMS Deepa Iyer, MD, Medical Director, Heart Transplant, RWJUH and Associate Professor of Medicine, RWJMS.
The reviewer evaluated compliance with related certification standards including Clinical Information Management, Performance Measurement, Program Management, Supporting Self-Management, as well as Delivering and Facilitating Clinical Care. The Joint Commission develops standards in consultation with health care experts and providers, measurement experts and patients. The reviewer also conducted onsite observations and interviews.
About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) New Brunswick, an RWJBarnabas Health Facility, is a 628-bed academic medical center that is New Jersey’s largest academic medical center through its deep partnership with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. RWJUH is the flagship Cancer Hospital of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, a nationally-ranked 2024-25 Best Children’s Hospital by U.S. News & World Report. Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, stroke care, neuroscience, orthopedics, bariatric surgery and women’s health. A Level 1 Trauma Center and the first designated Pediatric Trauma Center in the state, RWJUH’s New Brunswick campus serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness. For more Information visit us online at: www.rwjbh.org/newbrunswick.
Contact: Peter Haigney
RWJUH Public Relations
(732) 937-8568