Five Million Americans Visit Hospitals Annually with Chest Pain
(GRAPEVINE, Texas, Dec. 22, 2008) – With 600,000 people dying from heart disease each year, heart attacks continue to be the leading cause of death in the United States.
The Society of Chest Pain Centers recently awarded accreditation to Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine as a chest pain center. The facility received full Cycle II accreditation with PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) from the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC).
“This accreditation validates the commitment of Baylor Grapevine staff, physicians and administration to provide quality cardiac care and to achieve excellence in cardiovascular outcomes for all patients,” said Doug Lawson, president, Baylor Grapevine.
“Chest Pain Center accreditation is clear indication to the community of Baylor Grapevine’s focus on clinical excellence and optimal outcomes for our patients with acute coronary syndrome,” said Kris Powell, director of emergency services at Baylor Grapevine. “It demonstrates high levels of service and effective partnerships between the hospital, pre-hospital providers and physicians.”
During the on-site evaluation by the SCPS review team, Baylor Grapevine demonstrated its expertise and commitment to quality patient care by meeting or exceeding a wide set of stringent criteria. The key areas 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 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
“It is crucial that patients have quick access to a physician so they can be evaluated in a timely manner,” said Phillip Hecht, M.D., cardiologist on the medical staff at Baylor Grapevine. “Our continued systematic approach for our patients has allowed us to reduce the time to treatment during the early stages of a heart attack and provide treatments when they are most effective.”
About Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine
Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine is a 233-bed, full-service, fully-accredited not-for-profit hospital, serving residents in more than 20 cities throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. The hospital offers advanced medical care for brain and spine conditions, cardiovascular care, intensive care, diagnostic imaging, women’s services, neonatal intensive care, sleep disorders and emergency care. VHA, Inc. honored Baylor Grapevine with a 2007 leadership award for its care of patients with acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) and heart failure. This award honors health care organizations that have differentiated themselves around national performance standards.
For fiscal year 2007, the faith-based Baylor Health Care System will report $390 million in community benefits to the Texas Department of State Health Services. For more information, please visit www.BaylorHealth.com.
About The Society of Chest Pain Centers
The Society of Chest Pain Centers 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 Chest Pain Centers provides accreditation to facilities striving for optimum Chest Pain Center care. SCPC is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.
For more information on the Society of Chest Pain Centers visit www.scpcp.org, or contact Robert Lipetz, Executive Director at (614) 442-5950 or director@scpcp.org.