Ingalls achieves accreditation as a Chest Pain Center
Ingalls Memorial Hospital is pleased to announce it has received full Chest Pain Center Accreditation from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC), underscoring its commitment to providing high-quality care for heart patients.
Accredited chest pain centers like Ingalls offer a higher level of expertise in treating patients who arrive with symptoms of a heart attack. Using an evidence-based, protocol-driven and systematic approach to care, accredited centers hasten lifesaving treatment during the critical early stages of a heart attack and better monitor patients when it’s not clear whether or not a patient is having an actual coronary event.
“We are thrilled at achieving accreditation as a chest pain center, and I congratulate the multidisciplinary team at Ingalls who worked hard to make this happen,” said Ingalls President/CEO Kurt Johnson. “Our Integrated Heart Care Center covers emergency care, diagnostics, treatment and rehabilitation with board-certified cardiologists available 24 hours a day. This designation means Ingalls offers a higher level of expertise in treating patients who arrive with symptoms of a heart attack and underscores our commitment to provide superior heart care.”
Heart attacks are the leading cause of death in the United States, with 600,000 people dying annually of heart disease. More than five million Americans visit hospitals each year with chest pain. SCPC’s goal is to significantly reduce the mortality rate of these patients by teaching the public to recognize and react to the early symptoms of a possible heart attack, reduce the time that it takes to receive treatment, and increase the accuracy and effectiveness of treatment.
“The components of a chest pain center include the entire facility working together to provide the best possible care – from the 911 call that someone is having a heart attack, to cardiac intervention, to the patient’s discharge,” adds Marilyn Nelson, Director of Laboratory and Cardiac Services.
SCPC’s accreditation process ensures that hospitals like Ingalls meet or exceed a wide set of stringent criteria and undergo a comprehensive onsite review by a team of accreditation review specialists. They emphasize the importance of standardized diagnostic and treatment programs that provide more efficient and effective evaluation as well as more appropriate and rapid treatment of patients with chest pain and other heart attack symptoms. They also serve as a point of entry into the healthcare system to evaluate and treat other medical problems, and they help to promote a healthier lifestyle in an attempt to reduce the risk factors for heart attack.
By achieving SCPC’s Chest Pain Center Accreditation status, Ingalls demonstrated expertise in the following areas:
- Integrating the emergency department with the local emergency medical system
- Assessing, diagnosing, and treating patients 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 the competence and training of personnel
- 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