Officials at Paris Regional Medical Center (PRMC) announced today that they received full Chest Pain Center with Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) Accreditation from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC) on July 1, 2015.
To become an Accredited Chest Pain Center, the hospital, as well as, City of Paris Dispatchers and Emergency Medical Services (EMS), were thoroughly evaluated for the ability to assess, diagnose and treat patients who may be experiencing a heart attack. The team met or exceeded a wide set of criteria and an onsite review by an accreditation specialist.
Interim CEO, PRMC
“This accreditation has great impact on the people we serve in our region,” said Patti Monczewski, Interim CEO of Paris Regional Medical Center, “As an Accredited Chest Pain Center with PCI, we’ve demonstrated that we are committed to the highest standards around safety and quality of care for the cardiac patients in our community. PRMC’s cardiac care encompasses the entire continuum for heart patients—from the dispatchers, EMS and emergency department, through the cath lab and cardiac rehab programs—and including our quality and community outreach screening and prevention programs. This special accreditation exhibits PRMC’s commitment to provide extraordinary care close to home.”
“This accreditation is a reflection of the teamwork and professional excellence of the physicians and staff here at PRMC,” said Dr. Paul Dwyer, Medical Director, PRMC Emergency Department, “This accreditation verifies that we have processes in place to reduce the time from the start of symptoms to diagnosis and treatment, to treat patients more quickly during the window of time when heart muscle can be preserved.”
Heart attacks are the leading cause of death in the United States, with 600,000 people dying annually of heart disease. More than five million Americans visit hospitals each year with chest pain. SCPC’s goal 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.
An Accredited Chest Pain Center’s evidence-based, protocol-driven and systematic approach to cardiac patient care allows clinicians to reduce time to treatment during the critical early stages of a heart attack. Chest pain centers better monitor patients when it is not clear whether or not a patient is having a coronary event. Such monitoring ensures patients are neither sent home too early nor needlessly admitted.
With the increase in chest pain centers came the need to establish standards and adopt best practices designed to improve the consistency and quality of care provided to patients. SCPC’s CPC Accreditation process ensures that hospitals meet or exceed a wide set of stringent criteria and undergo a comprehensive onsite review by a team of accreditation review specialists. Hospitals that received SCPC CPC Accreditation status 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.
- By achieving SCPC’s Chest Pain Center with PCI Accreditation status, Paris Regional Medical Center demonstrated expertise in the following 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 the competence and training of Accredited Chest Pain Center personnel
- 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
- About Paris Regional Medical Center Paris Regional Medical Center provides a wide array of services and medical specialties for patients of Lamar County and the Northeast Texas/Southeast Oklahoma area. Licensed for over 300 beds, the combined campuses offer general acute-care services including cardiovascular, women’s health, rehabilitation, surgical, gero-psychiatric and pediatric services. There are over 100 physicians, representing 36 specialties of medicine. For more information, go to www.parisregionalmedical.com
About the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care
The Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC) is an international nonprofit organization that focuses on transforming cardiovascular care by assisting facilities in their effort to create cardiovascular centers of excellence that deliver quality, cost and patient satisfaction. As the only cross-specialty organization, SCPC provides the support needed for individual hospitals and hospital systems to effectively reduce variations of care and bridge existing gaps in treatment by providing the tools, education and support necessary to improve patient outcomes.
For more information on SCPC’s accreditation and certification opportunities, visit www.scpc.org, or call toll free 1-877-271-4176.