LMH Receives Chest Pain Center with PCI Accreditation
For immediate release
Contact: Tom N. Argyle
August 1, 2014
Public Relations
(220) 564-1564
targyle@LMHealth.org
LMH Receives Chest Pain Center with PCI Accreditation
Licking Memorial Hospital (LMH) is proud to announce its Cardiology Department has received accreditation as a Chest Pain Center with PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) from the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC). The accreditation is reserved for hospitals that have a more advanced level of expertise in caring for heart attack patients with high-tech interventional procedures.
To achieve SCPC accreditation, LMH participated in a rigorous evaluation of its ability to assess, diagnose and treat patients who may be having a heart attack. By meeting the SCPC’s guidelines for Chest Pain Center Accreditation, the community can be assured that LMH meets the strict standards for treating possible heart attack patients, including:
• Integrating the Emergency Department with local emergency medical squads
• Emergency assessment, timely diagnosis, and treatment of patients with heart attack symptoms
• Ongoing improvement of all aspects of care for cardiac patients
• Appropriate training and experience of physicians, nurses, technicians and other healthcare providers
• Administrative commitment to treating cardiac patients and allocating resources to ensure continued improvement
• Functional design of the Hospital to facilitate prompt treatment
• Educating the community on the signs and symptoms of a heart attack
“Patients may wait before coming to the Hospital when they have heart attack symptoms, such as chest pain, upper body pain, shortness of breath, and nausea,” said Debbie Young, Vice President Patient Services. “Part of the reason they delay is often because they are discouraged by the prospect of a long emergency room wait or an unnecessary hospitalization if they are having a ‘false alarm.’ The Chest Pain Center Accreditation is important because it emphasizes LMH’s prompt, aggressive and accurate response to each patient’s symptoms. The sooner a heart attack is treated, the better the patient’s outcome will be, because more heart muscle will be saved.”
LMH first received Chest Pain Center Accreditation in 2004. At that time, LMH was the 11th accredited chest pain center in Ohio, and 82nd in the United States. This new accreditation recognizes LMH’s high level of competence with PCI procedures, placing LMH among fewer than 500 hospitals in the U.S. that have received Chest Pain Center with PCI accreditation. In 2007, Licking Memorial Health Systems (LMHS) invested $300,000 to improve and standardize 12-lead electrocardiogram (EKG) equipment in Licking County’s emergency medical squads. In 2009, LMHS donated approximately $155,000 worth of automatic defibrillator equipment to the county’s schools and law enforcement agencies. In 2009, LMH invested in a renovation project that placed the cardiologists, Licking Memorial Heart Center, Interventional Cardiology, Licking Memorial Heart Failure Clinic and Cardiac Rehabilitation in a central location to improve efficiency. In 2014, LMHS donated $600,000 to upgrade the EKG equipment in the county’s emergency medical squads. LMHS purchased new LIFEPAK® EKG monitors for 31 emergency medical squads (EMS) in the county that were in need of an upgrade. The technology, when coupled with LIFENET® Receiving Stations in the LMH ED and catheterization lab, helps to significantly reduce a patient’s time to receive life-saving treatment at the Hospital.
Licking Memorial Hospital has served the medical needs of Licking County residents since it was founded in 1898. The 227-bed facility employs approximately 1,700 staff members to meet the healthcare needs of the community. Licking Memorial Hospital is proud to have been named to Truven Health Analytics’ national list of 100 Top Hospitals a total of 12 times. For more information, visit www.LMHealth.org. – # # # –