“This recognition demonstrates Memorial’s expertise and commitment to quality patient care by meeting or exceeding stringent criteria and an onsite survey,” said Nancy Weston, RN, vice president of nursing service at Memorial. “This represents a re-designation for Memorial, as Chest Pain Centers must be resurveyed every three years to assure compliance with the latest evidence based practice and quality measures.”

 

Hospitals that receive SCPC accreditation have achieved a higher level of expertise in dealing with patients who arrive with symptoms of a heart attack. They emphasize standardizing diagnostic and treatment protocols that provide efficient and effective evaluation and treatment of patients with chest pain and other signs and symptoms of heart attack. 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.

 

To become an Accredited Chest Pain Center, Memorial engaged in a rigorous evaluation by SCPC for its ability to assess, diagnose and treat patients who may be experiencing a heart attack. To the local community, this means that Memorial has processes in place that meet strict criteria aimed at: reducing the time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis and treatment; treating patients quicker during the critical window of times when heart muscle can be preserved; and monitoring patients when it is evident they are having a heart attack to ensure they are not sent home too soon or admitted unnecessarily.

ABOUT MEMORIAL HOSPITAL:

Serving the community since 1958, Memorial Hospital, a 316-bed independently owned and operated community hospital located just 15 minutes east of downtown St. Louis, Missouri, provides a full range of inpatient and outpatient services. In 2008, Memorial Hospital, Memorial Care Center and Memorial Home Care received Magnet recognition by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), a status shared with only six percent of hospitals in the United States.

 

Memorial is the area’s largest provider of surgical services and diagnostic imaging as well as physical therapy/rehab services. Memorial also operated the Metro East’s largest Emergency Department with over 50,000 annual visits and a 108-bed skilled nursing-rehab facility adjacent to the hospital. For more information, visit www.memhosp.com.

 

ABOUT THE SOCIETY OF CHEST PAIN CENTERS:
Established in 1998, the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC) is a patient-centric nonprofit international organization focused on improving care for patient with heart disease. Central to SCPC’s mission is the questions, “What is right for the patient?” In response, SCPC promotes protocol-based medicine, often delivered through a chest pain center model, to address the diagnosis and treatment of acute coronary syndrome and heart failure and to promote the adoption of process improvement science by healthcare providers. To best fulfill this mission, SCPC is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. For more information on SCPC and accreditation opportunities, visit www.scpc.org, or call toll free 1-877-271-4176.