Memorial Health Care System announced that Memorial Hospital and Memorial Hospital Hixson have received full chest pain center re-accreditation.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart attacks are the leading cause of death in the United States, with approximately 600,000 people dying annually of the disease. More than five million Americans visit hospitals each year with chest pain.
Memorial Health Care System Chief Medical Officer Kevin Lewis M.D said, “The hospital’s goal is to significantly reduce the mortality rate of people experiencing heart attacks 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.”
The hospital’s recent re-accreditation is an important achievement for people across the area. "By operating accredited chest pain centers to serve patients in Chattanooga, Hixson and the surrounding areas, Memorial Health Care System has significantly raised the quality of care for chest pain patients and has demonstrated its commitment to higher standards of care,” said Dr. Lewis.
As accredited chest pain centers, Memorial Hospital and Memorial Hospital Hixson have 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 Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care accreditation review specialists.
Key areas in which the SCPC must demonstrate expertise include: (1) integrating the emergency department with the local emergency medical system; (2) assessing, diagnosing and treating patients quickly; (3) having a functional design that promotes optimal patient care; (4) ensuring Chest Pain Center personnel competency and training; and (5) continually seeking to improve processes and procedures.