Southeast Missouri Hospital's Chest Pain Center Receives National Accreditation

Southeast Missouri Hospital once again has received national accreditation of its Chest Pain Center. The Hospital has earned full Cycle III accreditation with PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention).

PCI is a procedure commonly known as angioplasty, which is used to treat blocked arteries of the heart.

The latest accreditation for Southeast's Chest Pain Center came from the Accreditation Review Committee of the Society of Chest Pain Centers on February 24. The accreditation extends to June 16, 2015.

E. Lee Taylor, MD, JD, Vice President/Chief Medical Officer at Southeast, says, "The accreditation further demonstrates our dedication to excellence and quality care for our patients."

Jeffery C. Umfleet, DO, Medical Director of Emergency Services at Southeast, explains, "We have been working to provide our patients with state-of-the-art cardiac care during that critical window of time (symptom to balloon) when we can preserve the integrity of the muscle intact. This is another step in our continuing efforts to consistently provide ever-improving care to our patients."

David A. Law, MD, a cardiologist on the Southeast Missouri Hospital Medical Staff, notes, "As an accredited Chest Pain Center, our protocol-driven approach to heart care allows us to reduce time to treatment during the critical first stages of a heart attack."

Monti Callow, RN, Southeast's Chest Pain Center Coordinator, says the accreditation reflects the Hospital's commitment to excellent cardiac care. "We are dedicated to exceptional state-of-the-art heart care as demonstrated by our status as an accredited Chest Pain Center."

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 Society of Chest Pain Centers 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 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.

The Chest Pain Center at Southeast Missouri Hospital 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 Society of Chest Pain Centers. 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 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

Southeast Missouri Hospital obtained Cycle 1 Chest Pain Accreditation in 2006. At that time, the Hospital was the 18th accredited Chest Pain Center in Missouri and the 315th nationwide. In March 2009, the Hospital obtained Cycle II Chest Pain Center Accreditation with PCI.

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, OH.