Washington Regional Medical Center earns chest pain center accreditation

Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville has received full accreditation from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care as a chest pain center with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and resuscitation. The hospital is the first in the state to receive the accreditation, according to a news release.

An accredited chest pain center uses an “evidence-based, protocol-driven and systematic approach to cardiac patient care,” allowing physicians “to reduce time to treatment during the critical early stages of a heart attack,” the release shows. The centers “are better equipped to monitor patients when it is not clear whether a patient is having a coronary event,” and this monitoring “ensures patients are neither sent home too early nor needlessly admitted to the hospital.”

While the hospital has been an accredited center with primary PCI since 2010, it’s one of only 30 hospitals in the United States to achieve the resuscitation designation, according to the release. Centers with the accreditation “have demonstrated that they are prepared with the equipment and staff required to perform emergency angioplasty, a lifesaving intervention performed during a heart attack in which a stent is inserted into an artery to increase blood flow to the heart.”

Other requirements to receive accreditation include:

• Always have staff available within 30 minutes to perform primary PCI
• Offer a robust hypothermia program
• Uphold a no-diversion policy for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients
• Maintain a separate multidisciplinary resuscitation committee

Danita Mullins, director of emergency services for Washington Regional Medical Center, said hospitals with the accreditation have a higher level of expertise when dealing with patients who have symptoms of a heart attack. “The lengthy and thorough accreditation process ensures that hospitals meet or exceed a wide set of stringent criteria and undergo a comprehensive onsite review by a team of review specialists. By achieving this full accreditation, Washington Regional has again demonstrated a commitment to provide our patients with an advanced level of care,” she said.

The Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care is a nonprofit organization working to improve cardiovascular care by helping facilities create cardiovascular centers that deliver quality, cost and patient satisfaction. The cross-specialty organization helps hospitals and health systems reduce variations in care and bridge gaps in treatment by providing tools, education and support needed to improve patient outcomes.