Chest Pain Center Accreditation Awarded to Fort Walton Beach Medical Center
June 04, 2010
Fort Walton Beach Medical Center has received full Cycle III Chest Pain Center accreditation with Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) from the Society of Chest Pain Center’s Accreditation Review Committee. The Society of Chest Pain Centers is a non profit international organization devoted to improving the care of patients presenting with chest pain, heart attacks and other heart related health problems. Fort Walton Beach Medical Center is the only hospital in the Tri-County area of Okaloosa, Walton, and Santa Rosa Counties to achieve this honor.
“Accreditation is significant as the Society only certifies a hospital when it is convinced the staff and physicians are providing the finest care possible by adhering to guidelines developed by the Society’s international experts in the field of cardiovascular medicine” stated Rodney Powell, MD, Cardiologist and Medical Director of the Chest Pain Program. “It signifies that Fort Walton Beach Medical Center delivers the highest quality of cardiac care right here in our community.”
“Chest Pain Center Accreditation is truly a momentous occasion for not only Fort Walton Beach Medical Center, but also for our community. It is a testament to the Medical Center’s commitment to providing excellence in cardiac care and in improving patient outcomes,” said John Deardorff, Chief Executive Officer at Fort Walton Beach Medical Center.
“The accreditation is the culmination of a collaborative effort over several months by a multi-disciplinary team of physicians, employees, and Okaloosa County EMS to ensure rapid assessment, diagnosis, and high-quality care is provided to each patient with chest pain or other signs and symptoms of a heart attack”, stated Tama VanDecar, MD, Fort Walton Beach Medical Center’s Vice President of Medical Affairs.
As an accredited Chest Pain Center, Fort Walton Beach Medical Center ensures that patients with chest pain or discomfort receive timely treatment to avoid as much heart damage as possible. In addition to being the area’s only accredited chest pain center, the Medical Center is the area’s only hospital that provides life saving PCI, cardiac catheterization with coronary angioplasty and stents, as well as Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery.
The Chest Pain Center at Fort Walton Beach Medical Center has demonstrated its 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. Key areas in which a 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 Chest Pain Center personnel competency and training
- 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
About Fort Walton Beach Medical Center
Fort Walton Beach Medical Center, with 257 licensed beds, is the area’s only full service acute care hospital with over 200 physicians representing over 30 specialties. The Heart Center, Advanced Primary Stroke Center, The Cancer Care Center at Fort Walton Beach Medical Center and Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, provide the only Comprehensive Heart, Stroke, Cancer and NICU programs in the Tri-County area. Fort Walton Beach Medical Center was recently recognized by HealthGrades, the leading independent ranking organization, with its 2010 Cardiac Surgery, General Surgery, Spine Surgery and Orthopedic Surgery Excellence Awards.
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.
For more information on the Society of Chest Pain Centers visit www.scpcp.org, or contact Kay Styer Holmes, RN BSN MSA, Director of Accreditation Services at (614) 442-5950 or kholmes@scpcp.org.