Regional Hospital of Scranton receives Chest Pain Center Accreditation with PCI
12/30/2013
SCRANTON, PA – Commonwealth Health recently announced that Regional Hospital of Scranton has received full chest pain center accreditation with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC).
Heart attacks are the leading cause of death in the United States, with approximately 600,000 people dying annually of the disease. More than 5 million Americans visit hospitals each year with chest pain.
According to Regional Hospital of Scranton’s Chief of Cardiology, Christopher Dressel, M.D., the hospital’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 it takes to receive treatment, and increase the accuracy and effectiveness of treatment.
Regional Hospital of Scranton Chief Executive Officer Brooks Turkel says the hospital’s recent accreditation is an important achievement for patients across the area.
“By operating accredited chest pain centers to serve patients in Lackawanna, Luzerne and surrounding counties, Commonwealth Health has significantly raised the quality of care for chest pain patients and has demonstrated its commitment to higher standards of care,” says Mr. Turkel.
Commonwealth Health’s Wilkes-Barre General Hospital became an accredited chest pain center in 2011.
As an accredited chest pain center, Regional Hospital of Scranton has demonstrated its expertise and commitment to quality patient care by meeting or exceeding a wide set of stringent criteria and undergoing an onsite review by a team of SPCP’s accreditation review specialists. Key areas in which the Accredited 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 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.
