News Release
Mercy receives enhanced Chest Pain Center accreditation
September 26, 2008
The Society of Chest Pain Centers Accreditation Review Committee granted full Cycle II accreditation with percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) to Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines on Sept. 11, 2008. In 2005, Mercy was the first hospital in Iowa to receive accreditation, and continues to be the only accredited Chest Pain Center in central Iowa. Mercy is one of two hospitals in Iowa to have the PCI designation.
“This distinction is a great honor that validates Mercy’s longstanding commitment to providing the highest quality cardiac care available,” said Gary Hemann, D.O., emergency medicine and co-medical director of the Chest Pain Center. “This is a great example of the high level of collaboration and competence our staff demonstrates in serving our patients.”
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, claiming the lives of more than 650,000 Americans each year. The goal of the Society of Chest Pain Centers is to significantly reduce the number of heart attack deaths by teaching the public to recognize and react to the early symptoms of a possible heart attack, reduce the time it takes to receive treatment and increase the accuracy and effectiveness of treatment.
To earn accreditation, Mercy’s Chest Pain Center had to demonstrate expertise in a number of areas – including 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; and continually seeking to improve processes and procedures. In addition, Mercy must ensure Chest Pain Center personnel competency and training; maintain organizational structure and commitment; have a functional design that promotes optimal patient care; and provide support to community outreach programs that educate the public to promptly seek medical care if they display symptoms of a possible heart attack.
Over the years, the Mercy Heart Hospital has played a major role in transforming care for victims of heart attack in central Iowa. In 2004, Mercy collaborated with community hospitals and emergency medical response (EMS) teams to implement the Level 1 Heart Attack Protocol – a program designed to reduce the time to treatment for rural Iowans who suffer from heart attacks and cannot quickly access the level of treatment often offered only in urban areas.
“Rapid treatment is critical to preventing heart muscle damage,” says Margaret Verhey, M.D., cardiologist with the Iowa Heart Center and co-medical director of the Chest Pain Center. “The Level 1 Heart Attack Protocol focuses on a standardized treatment plan and getting the patient from the community hospital to the Cardiac Catheterization Lab within the national target of 90 minutes or less. At just 55 minutes, Mercy’s average time is among the best in the nation.”
Today, 24 hospitals participate in the in the protocol and more than 1,000 patients have benefited from the program.
About the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC)
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, Ohio.
For more information on the Society of Chest Pain Centers visit www.scpcp.org, or contact Robert Lipetz, Executive Director at (614) 442-5950 or director@scpcp.org.
Contact Gregg Lagan
Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines
515-247-3050
cell 515-490-6636
