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- February 2012 Newsletter
Discover the SCPC:
- Learn how to become accredited
- Detect the early signs of a heart attack
- Purchase your Accreditation Toolkit
- Find an accredited center near you
Meet our Experts
Dr. Raymond Bahr is passionate about cardiac care and preventive education. As the founding father of SCPC, his passion to disseminate lifesaving information is a driving force at SCPC. Throughout his career, he has created multiple programs to help others understand the life saving measures that can save a life. In 1981 at St. Agnes Hospital, Dr. Bahr established the Chest Pain Emergency Department (CPED), the first such unit in the world. The initial purpose of this CPED was prompt and effective treatment of patients presenting with heart attack/sudden death. The CPED was coupled with an aggressive education program that taught the community the early warning signs of a heart attack. This education program extended to middle and high school students via health and science curricula.
Spreading Prevention through Accreditation
Because every heart matters...
The Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC) provides education, accreditation and certification in order to help facilities streamline their critical care processes.
As you review the information on the SCPC website, please take a moment to review the fundamentals of our mission.
SCPC Accreditations
Accreditation refers to the process of awarding a status to a healthcare facility that meets or exceeds stated criteria of quality performance. SCPC grants the following types of accreditation:
- Chest Pain Center Accreditation
- Heart Failure Accreditation
- Critical Access Hospital Chest Pain Accreditation
To receive full accreditation, healthcare facilities must meet or exceed the criteria stated in the respective Accreditation Tool. SCPC accredited facilities have demonstrated a high level of care for their cardiac patients by having the full spectrum of cardiac care processes in place for accreditation and have had a successful site review conducted by SCPC’s Accreditation Review Specialists.
SCPC Certifications
Certification refers to the confirmation of certain characteristics within a healthcare facility, and full accreditation by SCPC is a pre-requisite for both Atrial Fibrillation and Chest Pain Center Coordinator certifications.
SCPC offers two types of certifications:
- Atrial Fibrillation Certification: The set of processes for treating atrial fibrillation patients is viewed as a component of a facility that has already earned the distinction of Chest Pain Center Accreditation. To receive Atrial Fibrillation Certification, the accredited chest pain center must meet the criteria specified in the Atrial Fibrillation Accreditation Tool. The Atrial Fibrillation Certification process is more streamlined, and a site review is not required.
- Certified Chest Pain Center Coordinator (CCPC): Those seeking this status must be from a facility that has been fully accredited by SCPC as a chest pain center, must meet all eligibility requirements, and must pass the CCPC exam.
SCPC - Because every heart matters
The Society of Chest Pain Centers promotes early symptom recognition. It is understood that heart attack symptoms may appear days or even weeks before an actual cardiac event. Through the Society’s “Early Heart Attack Care” (EHAC) initiative, both clinicians and patients alike are encouraged to recognize these early signs, in themselves and in others, and pursue treatment before an actual heart attack occurs. The EHAC initiative endeavors to provide pertinent education related to early symptom recognition and asks that everyone join in this initiative in order to save lives by committing to this cause.