Mountain View, CA - August 8, 2012 - El Camino Hospital today announced that it received Chest Pain Center with Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC), an international not-for-profit organization that evaluates hospitals according to nationally recognized program standards. Currently, 24 California hospitals have SCPC accreditation.
Hospitals that have received SCPC accreditation have achieved a higher level of expertise in dealing with patients who arrive 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.
To become an Accredited Chest Pain Center, El Camino Hospital engaged in rigorous evaluation by SCPC for its ability to assess, diagnose and treat patients who may be experiencing a heart attack. This means that the hospital’s processes meet strict criteria aimed at:
- Reducing the time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis and treatment
- Treating patients more quickly during the critical window of time when the integrity of the heart muscle can be preserved.
- Monitoring patients when it is not certain that they are having a heart attack to ensure that they are not sent home too quickly or needlessly admitted to the hospital
“Our hospital was given high marks for both the quality of our facility and the knowledge and training of our staff when it comes to treating heart attacks,” says Chidambaram Rammohan, M.D., medical director of the El Camino Hospital Chest Pain Center and Cardiac Catheterization Lab. “The reviewer especially was impressed with our five new hybrid cardiac catheterization suites, which most hospitals do not have.”
“We were also recognized for our outstanding door-to-balloon times, a measure of how quickly heart attack patients are treated in a hospital. Although national averages are at approximately 90 minutes, here at El Camino we average 62 minutes to treatment time, with many patients being treated in less than 30 minutes,” notes Rammohan.
El Camino Hospital’s state-of-the-art care encompasses the entire continuum of care for the heart patient and includes such focal points as dispatch, Emergency Medical System, emergency department, catheterization lab, quality assurance and community outreach. By becoming an Accredited Chest Pain Center, the hospital has enhanced the quality of care for the cardiac patient and has demonstrated its commitment to higher standards.
About the Society of Chest Pain Centers
The Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC) is an international not-for-profit organization whose mission is to transform cardiovascular care by assisting facilities in their effort to create communities of excellence that bring together quality, cost and patient satisfaction. As the only cross-specialty Society, SCPC provides the support needed for hospital systems to effectively bridge existing gaps in treatment by providing the tools, education and support necessary to successfully navigate the changing face of healthcare. For more information on SCPC, accreditation and certification opportunities, visit www.scpcp.org, or call toll free 1-877-271-4176.
