Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center is proud to announce the full accreditation of their Chest Pain Center with PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) by the Society of Chest Pain Centers and Providers (SCPCP). An accredited Chest Pain Center with PCI means that a hospital has dedicated interventional cardiologists, and cardiology and emergency personnel trained in rapid response and treatment of heart attacks, which ensures reduced heart muscle damage. The accreditation is only awarded to facilities that have made a commitment to providing patients with consistent quality in the delivery of emergency care based on national guidelines established by leaders in cardiovascular and emergency medicine. Accreditation is awarded for a three-year period. Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center was also awarded Chest Pain Center accreditation in 2006.

"We are extremely proud of this designation," says Jeffrey Brickman, President and CEO of Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center. "As an Accredited Chest Pain Center, Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center ensures that patients who come to us with chest pain or discomfort are given the immediate treatment necessary to avoid as much heart damage as possible. Protocol-based procedures developed by leading experts in cardiac care to reduce time-to-treatment in the critical early stages of a heart attack are part of Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center's overall cardiac care service."

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. The goal of the SCPCP 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.

Thanks to the talents of its dedicated physicians and clinical staff, the Chest Pain Center at Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center has demonstrated its expertise and commitment to quality patient care by meeting or exceeding a wide set of stringent criteria and completing on-site evaluations by a review team from the SCPCP. To earn Accredited Chest Pain Center status, a facility successfully completes the Society's formal process in the following eight 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 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

"Chest pain is one of the most common complaints of patients presenting to our emergency department," says Mary Gniady, Emergency Department Clinical Nurse Specialist and Chest Pain Center Coordinator at Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center. "To know that our Chest Pain Center has met this very high standard of accreditation is an example of how we are continuously committed to building clinical excellence and improving patient outcomes in our full complement of cardiovascular services. Our emergency department physicians and staff are working closely with our cardiology and Emergency Medical Services teams to provide the very best integrated care for our patients. "

The Chest Pain Center's protocol driven and systematic approach to patient management allows physicians to reduce time-to-treatment during the critical early stages of a heart attack, when treatments are most effective, and 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. 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.

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