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Atrium Medical Center receives Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI Accreditation 

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (May 2, 2017): Atrium Medical Center has received full Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI Accreditation from the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Accreditation Services. 

“Achieving Chest Pain Center Accreditation provides the hospital and the pre-hospital emergency system an opportunity to identify patients with chest pain and standardize the treatment based on best practices,” said Dr. Ralph Talkers, medical director of the Emergency Trauma Center at Atrium Medical Center. “The reason this is so important is the need to quickly capture patients who are having a heart attack, which is reflective of a clogged heart artery, which can kill heart muscle.”

Heart attacks are the leading cause of death in the United States, with 600,000 people dying annually of heart disease. More than five million Americans visit hospitals each year with chest pain. ACC Accreditation Services’ goal 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.

“This accreditation is another example of Atrium Medical Center striving to achieve cardiac excellence,” said Dr. Ali Usmani, medical director of the Accredited Chest Pain Center at Atrium.

An accredited Chest Pain Center’s (CPC) evidence-based, protocol-driven and systematic approach to cardiac patient care allows clinicians to reduce time to treatment during the critical early stages of a heart attack. Accredited facilities better monitor patients when it is not initially clear whether or not a patient is having a coronary event. Such monitoring ensures patients are neither sent home too early nor needlessly admitted.

“This accreditation is a testament to the collaboration among our local Emergency Medical Services, Emergency Trauma Center, Cardiac Cath Laboratory, and Cardiology Departments who worked diligently to streamline Atrium Medical Center’s processes for diagnosis, treatment and management of patients experiencing chest pain and heart attacks,” said Kim Crout, coordinator for the Chest Pain Center at Atrium. “By becoming an accredited Chest Pain Center, it means our community can count on Atrium Medical Center to provide the highest quality cardiac care close to home when it is needed.” 

The ACC’s Chest Pain Center Accreditation process came about as greater numbers of facilities in the United States sought to establish standards and adopt best practices in the quality of care provided to patients experiencing chest pain. The ACC’s CPC Accreditation process ensures that hospitals meet or exceed an array of stringent criteria and undergo a comprehensive onsite review by a team of accreditation review specialists. Hospitals that receive CPC Accreditation status have achieved a higher level of expertise in dealing with patients who present with symptoms of a heart attack. They emphasize the importance of standardized diagnostic and treatment programs that provide more efficient and effective evaluation as well as more appropriate and rapid treatment of patients with chest pain and other heart attack symptoms. They also serve as a point of entry into the healthcare system to evaluate and treat other medical problems, and they help to promote a healthier lifestyle in an attempt to reduce the risk factors for heart attack.

By achieving the ACC’s Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI Accreditation status, Atrium Medical Center demonstrates expertise in the following areas:

• Integrating the emergency department with the local emergency medical system;
• Assessing, diagnosing, and treating patients quickly; 
• Effectively treating patients at low risk for acute coronary syndrome and no assignable cause for their symptoms;
• Continually seeking to improve processes and procedures;
• Ensuring the competence and training of Accredited Chest Pain Center personnel;
• Maintaining organizational structure and commitment;
• Constructing a functional design that promotes optimal patient care; and
• Supporting community outreach programs that educate the public to promptly seek medical care if they display symptoms of a possible heart attack.

Atrium Medical Center is a full-service hospital and Level III Trauma Center located conveniently along the Interstate 75 corridor at exit 32, One Medical Center Drive in Middletown, between Cincinnati and Dayton. The hospital employs more than 1,500 people in full-time, part-time and on-call positions. Atrium is operated by the Dayton-based nonprofit Premier Health system.

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