Building a Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center of Excellence

Over the past two decades, a network of regional hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) centers has been established and continues to grow. The primary goal of these centers is to provide state-of-the-art longitudinal care and consistent outcomes for patients with HCM, in close collaboration with their local cardiologists. The comprehensive care at an HCM center is a result of collaboration among a multidisciplinary team that includes specialists in adult and pediatric cardiology, electrophysiology, interventional cardiology, cardiac surgery, and genetic counseling, all with particular expertise in treating the patient with HCM. Comprehensive programs offer additional services to those with HCM including high-risk obstetrics/gynecology, dietician, psychological services, weight loss services, and complementary medicine. Additional benefits of having a network of regional HCM centers are that it encourages consistency of treatment algorithms and outcomes, as well as collaborative research between institutions. The Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association maintains guidance documents and systems to formally recognize HCM Centers of Excellence.