Springs Memorial Hospital has been designated an ‘Accredited Chest Pain Center’ by The Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care. At the time of this designation, Springs Memorial Hospital was only the 5th hospital in South Carolina to receive this accreditation and the only hospital in Lancaster, Kershaw, Chester, Chesterfield and Union counties to receive this designation.
Heart attacks are the leading cause of death in the United States, with 600,000 individuals dying annually of heart disease. More than five million Americans visit hospitals each year with chest pain. The goal of The Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care 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.
To receive the full cycle II accreditation, an on-site review was conducted to examine the treatment a patient experiencing chest pain receives, from response to discharge. In addition, Springs Memorial Hospital’s community programs were examined.
“The Chest Pain Center’s protocol driven and systematic approach to patient management allows physicians quick treatment policies and procedures during the critical early stages of a heart attack, when treatments are most effective,” said Ginger Wirth, RN, Clinical Director of Emergency Services. “These processes also allow physicians and staff to better monitor patients when it is not clear whether they are having a coronary event. Such observation helps ensure that a patient is neither sent home too early nor needlessly admitted.”
Key areas in which an Accredited Chest Pain Center must demonstrate expertise include:
- 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 (ACS) and no assignable cause for their symptoms
- Having a functional design that promotes optimal patient care
- Insuring Chest Pain Center personnel competency and training
- Maintaining organizational structure and commitment
- Continually seeking to improve processes and procedures
- Supporting community outreach programs that educate the public to promptly seek medical care if they have display symptoms of a possible heart attack
With the rise of Chest Pain Centers came the need to establish standards designed to improve the consistency and quality of care provided to patients. The Society’s accreditation process insures centers meet or exceed quality-of-care measures in acute cardiac medicine.
About The Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care
The Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care is a patient centric non-profit international professional organization focused upon improving care for patients with acute coronary syndromes and other related maladies. Established in 1998, the Society is dedicated to patient advocacy and focusing on ischemic heart disease. Central to its mission is the question, “What is right for the patient?” In answer, the Society promotes protocol based medicine, often delivered through a Chest Pain Center model to address the diagnosis and treatment of acute coronary syndromes, heart failure, and to promote the adoption of process improvement science by healthcare providers. To best fulfill this mission, The Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care provides accreditation to facilities striving for optimum Chest Pain Center care. The Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. For more information visit www.scpcp.org.