The Medical Center at Bowling Green Receives Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI Accreditation
The Medical Center at Bowling Green, flagship hospital of Med Center Health, has received full Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI Accreditation from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC). This is the fifth accreditation cycle The Medical Center has completed since 2004. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is the use of cardiac catheterization to treat narrowed coronary arteries to the heart. The Medical Center is the only Chest Pain Center in Southcentral Kentucky accredited with PCI.
“The Medical Center is committed to providing the best standards of care for our patients,” said Connie Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer of Med Center Health. “Receiving the highest level of accreditation from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care is proof of that commitment. As an accredited facility, we use state-of-the-art methods and continually seek to improve our processes and procedures.”
“The work we are doing has produced some amazing outcomes,” said Muhammad Akbar, M.D., Interventional Cardiologist with Western Kentucky Heart and Lung. “We have a dedicated team of healthcare professionals – from Medical Center EMS, Emergency Department, Cardiac Cath Lab, Nursing and various ancillary departments – who ensure our patients receive the most appropriate, evidence-based care. Together, we work tirelessly to save lives and reduce the damage from a heart attack.”
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 (CPC) 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. Accredited facilities better monitor patients when it is not initially clear whether or not a patient is having a coronary event. Such monitoring ensures patients are neither sent home too early nor needlessly admitted.
SCPC’s CPC Accreditation process came about as greater numbers of facilities in the United States sought to establish standards and adopt best practices in the quality of care provided to patients experiencing chest pain. SCPC’s CPC Accreditation process ensures that hospitals meet or exceed an array of stringent criteria and undergo a comprehensive onsite review by a team of accreditation review specialists. Hospitals that receive SCPC CPC Accreditation status have achieved a higher level of expertise in dealing with patients who present 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 Primary PCI Accreditation status, The Medical Center at Bowling Green demonstrates expertise in the following areas:
- Integrating the emergency department with the local emergency medical system
- Assessing, diagnosing, and treating patients quickly
- Effectively treating patients at 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
- Constructing 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 The Medical Center
The Medical Center at Bowling Green is the flagship hospital for Med Center Health. Located in Bowling Green, Ky., The Medical Center is a 337-bed, full service, not-for-profit hospital specializing in heart care, cancer care, obstetrics and neonatology, neuroscience and orthopaedic services. With a mission to care for people and improve the quality of life in the communities it serves, Med Center Health contributed $80.4 million in community benefit in fiscal year 2016. Med Center Health treats patients regardless of their ability to pay and annually provides millions in community benefit through charity care for the uninsured and shortfalls in governmental reimbursements (Medicare and Medicaid). To learn more, visit www.TheMedicalCenter.org.
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 efforts to create cardiovascular centers of excellence that deliver quality care and patient satisfaction in a cost sensitive environment. As the accreditation services arm of the American College of Cardiology, SCPC offers individual hospitals and hospital systems the support needed to effectively reduce variations of care and bridge existing gaps in treatment. Through its collaboration with actively engaged, multidisciplinary teams, SCPC is Taking Science to the Bedside™ and improving outcomes in the management of heart disease. For more information about SCPC’s accreditation and certification opportunities, visit www.scpc.org, or call toll-free 1-877-271-4176.