St. Luke's Becomes First Hospital in Region to Earn Chest Pain Center Accreditation
Bethlehem, PA (1/15/2009) - St. Luke's Hospital has become the first and only hospital in the region to earn Chest Pain Center accreditation by the prestigious Society of Chest Pain Centers, an international professional organization focused on improving care for patients with acute coronary syndromes and other related conditions. The three-year accreditation follows the Society's rigorous review of St. Luke's clinical protocols and the patient care it provides chest pain patients at both its Bethlehem and Allentown campuses.
Criteria
Among the criteria considered were St. Luke's demonstrated expertise and commitment to:
- Assessing, diagnosing and treating patients quickly
- Effectively treating patients with low risk for acute coronary syndrome and no assignable cause for their symptoms
- Integrating the emergency department with the local emergency medical system
- Continually seeking to improve processes and procedures
- 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
Goal to Reduce the Death Rate
According to the Society of Chest Pain Centers, heart attacks are the leading cause of death in the United States, with 600,000 dying annually of heart disease and more than five million Americans who 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.
Commitment to Treating Chest Pain-Related Symptoms
“We are gratified that the Society of Chest Pain Centers has recognized St. Luke's commitment to providing area patients with timely, expert evaluation and treatment of chest pain-related symptoms. This accreditation validates what we know to be true - St. Luke's and our EMS community have the highest quality staff providing excellent, leading edge care to our patients and we are continually monitoring our processes to improve,” said Melinda Shoemaker, RN, LNC, Director, St. Luke's Chest Pain Center Program.
According to Marcus Averbach, MD, Medical Director, St. Luke's Chest Pain Center Program, “The St. Luke's Chest Pain Center follows a scientific guideline driven, systematic approach to patient management that allows physicians to streamline treatment time during the critical stages of a heart attack, when treatments are most effective and to better monitor patients when it 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.”
St. Luke's Evaluates 5,000 Patients With Chest Pain Every Year
St. Luke's Hospital evaluates more than 5,000 patients with chest pain every year at its hospital locations in Bethlehem and Allentown. Both St. Luke's Hospital – Bethlehem Campus and St. Luke's Hospital – Allentown Campus offer: