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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Overland Park Regional Medical Center
Receives Chest Pain Center Accreditation

Overland Park, KS – December, 6. The Society of Chest Pain Centers has granted the designation of Accredited Chest Pain Center to Overland Park Regional Medical Center-Overland Park, KS. Overland Park Regional Medical Center is the 2nd accredited Chest Pain Center in Kansas and the 81st in the nation.

“The designation of an accredited Chest Pain Center further establishes Overland Park Regional Medical Center as a premier hospital for acute cardiac care in this area,” explains Cindy Ascher, Director of Cardiology Services and Education at Overland Park Regional. “ Not only does it reflect our commitment to quality patient care but also highlights our focus on the education we provide to the community through seminars and health fairs on heart care, the signs and symptoms of a heart attack and what to do if you or a loved one experiences chest pain.”

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 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 Overland Park Regional 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
• Having a functional design that promotes optimal patient care
• Ensuring 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

"The accreditation at Overland Park Regional Medical Center is wonderful news for patients in the Johnson County area who may be in need of outstanding cardiac care," explained Bryan R. Rogers, HCA Midwest Division president. "This is the first step in a network-wide initiative to elevate the cardiac services offered throughout the HCA hospitals in the metropolitan area. We continually evaluate the way we treat chest pain and heart attack patients in order to give our patients the best treatment possible -- and this accreditation acknowledges our work to ensure the highest level of care."

“We are pleased to be recognized by the Society of Chest Pain Centers designating Overland Park Regional as an established, accredited center for quality cardiac care,” says Kevin J. Hicks, CEO of Overland Park Regional Medical Center. “This recognition is in line with our commitment to a higher level of emergency care. As the only Regional Trauma Center in Johnson County, we are seeking verification from the American College of Surgeons as a Level II Trauma Center. We plan to complete this verification process in 2005.”

About Overland Park Regional Medical Center
Overland Park Regional, located at 10500 Quivira Road (I-435 and Quivira) in Overland Park, KS, is celebrating its 25th anniversary year of serving the healthcare needs of Johnson County residents. The hospital, which opened in December 1978, is a 244-bed acute care hospital specializing in 24-hour emergency services including a regional trauma center, complete women’s services including a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, cardiac, orthopedic, surgical and other acute care services. Overland Park Regional is part of the HCA Midwest family of hospitals. More information can be obtained at www.oprmc.com. Or, contact Denise Charpentier, Director, Public Affairs at 913-541-6077.

HCA Midwest Division operates 12 hospitals in the Kansas City metropolitan area including Allen County Hospital, Menorah Medical Center, and Overland Park Regional Medical Center in Kansas; and Baptist-Lutheran Medical Center, Cass Medical Center, Independence Regional Health Center, Lafayette Regional Health Center, Lee's Summit Hospital, Medical Center of Independence, Research Belton Hospital, Research Medical Center, and Research Psychiatric Center in Missouri. Nashville-based HCA (NYSE: HCA) formalized its $1.13 billion acquisition of Kansas City's Health Midwest network of hospitals in April 2003. You may visit us on-line at www.HCAMidwest.com.

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