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Deaconess Hospital – First Accredited Chest Pain Center in Indiana; Second in the United States

EVANSVILLE, IN – September 16, 2003. The Society of Chest Pain Centers and Providers has granted the designation of Accredited Chest Pain Center to Deaconess Hospital, making it the first Chest Pain Center in Indiana and the second in the nation to be accredited.

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 and Providers 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 Center’s 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.

With the rise of Chest Pain Centers came the need to establish standards designed to improve the consistency and quality of care provided to patients. The Society’s accreditation process insures centers meet or exceed quality-of-care measures in acute cardiac medicine.

The Chest Pain Center at Deaconess Hospital 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 and Providers. 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
• Having a functional design that promotes optimal patient care
• Insuring Chest Pain Center personnel competency and training
• Maintaining organizational structure and commitment
• Continually seeking to improve processes and procedures
• Supporting community outreach programs that educate the public to promptly seek medical care if they display symptoms of a possible heart attack

During the Society’s site visit, the evaluation team was warmly welcomed by the administration and staff at Deaconess Hospital, who conducted the day’s tour and recounted the history of the hospital. During the visit, it became evident that Deaconess’ 104-year tradition of service to the community was alive and well. The evaluation team took particular notice of Deaconess’ commitment to excellence in patient care and to the way they had integrated the hospital’s services with those of the local Emergency Medical System.

Deaconess met, and often exceeded, the criteria needed to be a fully Accredited Chest Pain Center. Based on the strength of the hospital’s overall commitment to community service and their medical and nursing expertise, the site visit team recommended full accreditation to the Accreditation Review Committee. The EMS serving the area around Deaconess should also be congratulated for being an integral part of this outstanding healthcare team.

From the Society’s point of view, the vision that launched Deaconess over a hundred years ago is just as strong today. Therefore, the Society is pleased to help Deaconess launch another century of service by officially declaring them the first Accredited Chest Pain Center in Indiana and the second in the nation.

"Deaconess Hospital is honored to be the second hospital in the country to be accredited by the Society of Chest Pain Centers and Providers. We have a strong commitment to our community to provide superior patient care. The accreditation of our Chest Pain Center demonstrates to the people we serve that we excel in providing care to those individuals with chest pain. We are extremely proud of our community's Emergency Medical Service's personnel, Deaconess Hospital's employees and our Medical Staff who made this accreditation a reality. The accreditation process once again demonstrated our commitment to team work to produce high quality patient care outcomes," said Linda White, President and CEO of Deaconess Hospital.

About the Society of Chest Pain Centers
The Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC) is an international professional society focused on improving care for patients with acute coronary syndromes and related maladies. The Society is committed to improving the quality of patient care through protocol-based medicine and the adoption of process improvement science to healthcare. SCPC is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. For more information, visit www.scpcp.org.

For more information on Deaconess Hospital, its Accredited Chest Pain Center, or its community outreach programs, contact Jill Trautvetter, Public Relations at 812-450-3199 or visit www.deaconess.com.

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