Methodist Mansfield Medical Center has received Cycle IV Chest Pain Center Accreditation from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC), an international not-for-profit organization that focuses on transforming cardiovascular care by assisting facilities in their effort to create communities of excellence that bring together quality, cost and patient satisfaction.

Hospitals that have received SCPC accreditation have achieved a higher level of expertise in dealing with patients who arrive with symptoms of a heart attack. 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.

To become an Accredited Chest Pain Center, the hospital staff engaged in rigorous evaluation by SCPC for its ability to assess, diagnose, and treat patients who may be experiencing a heart attack. To the community served by the hospital, this means that processes are in place that meet strict criteria aimed at:

• Reducing the time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis and treatment
• Treating patients more quickly during the critical window of time when the integrity of the heart muscle can be preserved
• Monitoring patients when it is not certain that they are having a heart attack to ensure that they are not sent home too quickly or needlessly admitted to the hospital

“People tend to wait when they think they might be having a heart attack, and that’s a mistake,” states Ketan Trivedi, MD, medical director of the Methodist Mansfield ED and chest pain center.

“The average patient arrives in the emergency department more than two hours after the onset of symptoms, but what they don’t realize is that the sooner a heart attack is treated, the less damage to the heart and the better the outcome for the patient.”

One important way that hospitals track these outcomes is through “door-to-balloon” times, or the amount of time that elapses between when the patient arrives at the hospital and the time that they receive an intervention in the cardiac catheterization lab. The hospital consistently averages below the 90 minute national benchmark.

The hospital’s cardiac response team encompasses the entire continuum of care for the heart patient and includes such focal points as 911 dispatch, EMS providers, emergency department, cath lab, the hospital’s quality assurance plan, and community outreach program.

“By becoming a Cycle IV Chest Pain Center, the hospital has enhanced the quality of care for the cardiac patient and has demonstrated its commitment to higher standards,” said Cardiology Department Chair Alan Taylor, MD.

Note to editor: Photograph is available at http://www.methodisthealthsystem.org/PhotoCycleIVAccreditation  

The Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC) is an international not-for-profit organization whose mission is to transform cardiovascular care by assisting facilities in their effort to create communities of excellence that bring together quality, cost and patient satisfaction. As the only cross-specialty Society, SCPC provides the support needed for hospital systems to effectively bridge existing gaps in treatment by providing the tools, education and support necessary to successfully navigate the changing face of healthcare. For more information on SCPC, accreditation visit scpcp.org, or call toll free 1-877-271-4176.