Cardiology (see more articles like this)

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 Florida 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. 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 (ACS) 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 have display symptoms of a possible heart attack

During the Society’s on-site review, the team was especially impressed by the high level
of care and the hospital’s outstanding community outreach program. "By participating in the Chest Pain Center Accreditation process, Florida Hospital continues to show why it is one of the most respected health care providers in the country," said Robert Weisenburger Lipetz, Executive Director of the Society.

"Florida Hospital performs nearly l7, 000 complex cardiac procedures each year," said Danielle Johnson, RN, BSBM, administrative director of cardiovascular services at Florida Hospital.  “With this type of proven record, along with our dedicated cardiac team, this designation recognizes that Florida Hospital is a proven leader for cardiac care."

For more information on Florida Hospital's cardiology programs, please visit: www.flheart.org.
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