Chest Pain Accreditation Designed to Save Lives

Robert Roth, M.D., Interventional Cardiologist, Columbia St. Mary’s

Posted: March 1, 2007

If a patient having a heart attack is to be treated successfully, minutes matter. That’s why Columbia St. Mary’s took our heart program at all three hospitals to a higher level by becoming fully accredited by the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC).

Being Chest Pain accredited means that we have in place the processes and protocols to provide the highest level of care for patients experiencing a heart attack, as well as those who are experiencing symptoms of a heart attack. The bottom line of our accreditation is that our patients are effectively treated and lives are saved.

Columbia St. Mary’s completed accreditation in 2005 and 2006. However, we continue to push the envelope to improve our cardiac care. Through our continued rapid response efforts, our door-to-balloon times (the time between arriving at the hospital and receiving angioplasty) are consistently well below the national standard of 90 minutes, set by SCPC and the American College of Cardiology. Over the last six months, we have averaged under 75 minutes across all three of our hospitals.

We also participate in the Wisconsin Collaborative on Healthcare Quality, an initiative of health systems learning and working together to improve the quality of health care in the State of Wisconsin.

SCPC criteria for accreditation include Columbia St. Mary’s ongoing process improvement program, the emphasis on extensive training of medical personnel, adequate functional space in the hospital, and the emergency room’s integration with the emergency medical system. Also our organizational structure had to be designed to provide for quick diagnosis and treatment.

The SCPC encourages the education of not just the hospital’s emergency department about correct protocol but the entire hospital staff, as well as paramedics out in the field. Public education also is emphasized.

There continues to be national and local efforts to increase early recognition and enhance the aggressive management of people experiencing heart attacks, chest pain and the whole spectrum of acute coronary syndrome. At Columbia St. Mary’s, we know that our accreditation assures the community that we’re providing cutting edge cardiac care for our patients.

Robert Roth, M.D.
Interventional Cardiologist
Columbia St. Mary’s
414-326-1745

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