FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 1, 2009

Society of Chest Pain Centers Grants St. John’s Mercy Heart and Vascular Hospital Full Cycle II Accreditation

St. John’s Mercy Heart and Vascular Hospital has recently been re-accredited by the Society of Chest Pain Centers for a full three-year Cycle II accreditation with Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, or balloon angioplasty, from the Accreditation Review Committee. St. John’s Mercy undertook a rigorous re-evaluation and refinement of heart care processes in order to integrate the industry’s best practices and newest paradigms into its cardiac care services.

“The accreditation is another validation that St. John’s Mercy is leading the way in heart and vascular care,” said Virginia Frank, vice president of operations for St. John’s Mercy cardiovascular services. “Our team works with area emergency medical services and other departments to ensure that patients get the treatment they need during the critical early stages of a heart attack.”

As an Accredited Chest Pain Center, St. John’s Mercy ensures that patients who come to the emergency department complaining of chest pain or discomfort are given the immediate treatment necessary to avoid as much heart damage as possible. Protocol-based procedures developed by leading experts in cardiac care to reduce time to treatment in the critical early stages of a heart attack are part of the overall cardiac care service.

The Chest Pain Center at St. John’s Mercy has demonstrated its expertise and commitment to quality patient care by meeting or exceeding a wide set of stringent criteria and completing on-site evaluations by a review team from the Society of Chest Pain Centers. Key areas in which a Chest Pain Center must demonstrate expertise include:

• 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 Chest Pain Center personnel competency and training
• 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 St. John’s Mercy Heart and Vascular Hospital: St. John’s Mercy Heart and Vascular Hospital, on the campus of St. John’s Mercy Medical Center, is a comprehensive care center, including 96 private inpatient heart care rooms, diagnostic services, cardiovascular operating services, a cardiac catheterization lab, cardiac rehabilitation services, education resources and physician offices.

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.

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