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SwedishAmerican Hospital Receives Chest Pain Center Accreditation
June 24, 2009
SwedishAmerican Hospital has received full Chest Pain Center Cycle II accreditation with PCI from the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC).
Accreditation as a chest pain center means the hospital meets or exceeds a wide set of stringent criteria and completed on-site evaluations by a review team from the Society of chest Pain Centers.
“We are gratified to have been institutionally recognized as a leader in cardiac care through Cycle II Accreditation with PCI. This means many things, but two are paramount. It demonstrates our dedication to educational and outreach efforts to help the people of the Rockford region recognize potential cardiac symptoms and to act early, thereby reducing complications, and to the utilization of methods in the emergency department that reduces the time to diagnosis and provide treatment for our heart attack patients,” said Scott Bailey, MD, Emergency Physician and Chest Pain Center Director.
Heart attacks are the leading cause of death in the United States, with 600,000 dying annually of heart disease. More than five million Americans visit hospitals each year with chest pain. Key areas in which a Chest Pain Center must demonstrate expertise include:
• Integrating the emergency department with the local emergency medical system
• Assessing, diagnosing, and treating patient quickly
• Effectively treating patients with low risk for acute coronary syndrome and no assignable cause for their symptoms
• Continually seeking to improve processes and procedures
• Ensuring Chest Pain Center personnel competency and training
• Maintaining organizational structure and commitment
• Having a functional design that promotes optimal patient care
• Supporting community outreach programs that educate the public to promptly seek medical care if they display symptoms of a possible heart attack
SwedishAmerican was first accredited as a Chest Pain Center in 2006. The full Cycle II accreditation with PCI is in effect through 2012.
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