HCA Virginia First and Only Health System in Region to have Fully Accredited Chest Pain Centers at all of its Hospitals

HCA Virginia Health System has announced that it is the first and only health system to have fully accredited chest pain centers at all of its hospitals in Southwest Virginia -- Lewis-Gale Medical Center, Alleghany Regional, Montgomery Regional and Pulaski Community.  To receive this designation, granted by the Society of Chest Pain Centers, each hospital’s chest pain center, housed in the ER, had to demonstrate 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. 

Among eight key areas that a Chest Pain Center has to demonstrate expertise are integrating the emergency department with the local emergency medical system; assessing, diagnosing, and treating patients quickly; and ensuring Chest Pain Center personnel competency and training.

“To have all of our Southwest Virginia hospitals designated with accredited chest pain centers is a testament to our physicians and staff and our commitment to providing quality cardiac care that is second to none,” says Victor E. Giovanetti, President, HCA Southwest Virginia.  “The services and care we provide to the people in this region are outstanding not only when compared to other institutions within our state, but within the nation as well.” 

The designation for all four hospitals comes on the heels of each hospital ranking in the top 10 percent nationwide for quality heart attack care, based on the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare’s combined core measure benchmarks. 

Patients who utilize one of the health system’s Chest Pain Centers also have access to a complete range of cardiac care including diagnostic and interventional procedures such as angioplasty and the region’s only cryoablation and radiofrequency treatment for atrial fibrillation, a common type of irregular heartbeat that, left untreated, can cause a heart attack or stroke.

“Patients experiencing heart attack symptoms can be reassured that they are receiving quick, evidenced-based care that gives them the best outcome possible,” stated Giovanetti.  “Additionally, from the time a patient arrives at Lewis-Gale’s emergency room, our cardiologists and other cardiac team members are opening patients’ arteries well within the American Heart Association’s standard of 90 minutes – with over 50% of our patients in 55 minutes or less.”

Lewis-Gale Medical Center also performs heart surgery, with the cardiothoracic team performing beating-heart surgery more frequently than twice the national average.  While beating-heart surgery is not recommended for all cardiac patients, it is proving to result in fewer complications and better outcomes for patients who are candidates. 

The health system completed designation of all four hospitals after Montgomery Regional recently received its accreditation this month, preceded by Pulaski Community in January.  Alleghany Regional became accredited in June, 2007, and was the first rural hospital in the state to receive the designation.  In May 2005, Lewis-Gale was the second hospital in the state to become accredited, and in April, 2008, received re-accreditation with PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) from the Accreditation Review Committee.  Every three years, the bar is raised and criterion to maintain accreditation is reviewed to keep up with current research and guidelines. 

Heart attacks are the leading cause of death in the United States, with 600,000 dying annually of heart disease. More than five million Americans visit hospitals each year with chest pain. The goal of the Society of Chest Pain Centers 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 that it takes to receive treatment, and increase the accuracy and effectiveness of treatment.

The Chest Pain Centers’ protocol driven and systematic approach to patient management allows physicians to reduce time to treatment during the critical early stages of a heart attack, when treatments are most effective, and to better monitor patients when it is not clear whether they are having a coronary event. Such observation helps ensure that a patient is neither sent home too early nor needlessly admitted.

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.