Author: Amy Newell
Accountability of an Accredited Program
As we continue to accredit PCI programs and Chest Pain Centers across the country, oftentimes we find programs are able to capitalize on their current success as either being an active PCI center, or a stand-alone chest pain center. Managing cardiac patients across the continuum of care from the time they enter a hospital until treatment is determined can be challenging for any program. There are many moving parts from the time a patient arrives, which includes whether or not they arrive on their own or arrive by means of first responders or EMS. We all recognize immediately those patients presenting with an active heart attack, or Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI), and regardless of a hospital offering PCI services or not, a formalized clinical pathway is necessary to treat these patients. These patients carry the “time-critical” diagnosis from recognition to treatment, and regardless of services offered, an accredited program is held accountable to manage these patients safely and successfully, and the ability to treat these patients safely and quickly has a direct impact on their outcome and survivability.
The Ultimate Goal of Accreditation
The overall goal of chest pain center accreditation is to build the foundation for successful collaboration across providers, clinicians, and/or facilities, ensuring the highest quality level of care is being provided, and that it is measurable through successful outcomes. Through this collaboration, the development and implementation of clinical pathways for ALL chest pain patients are key! This is no easy task, and so as we accredit facilities as a chest pain center, we utilize evidence-based science and national guidelines to drive “best practices”. For those hospitals offering PCI services, we find much of the groundwork is in place especially in managing the AMI patient. The challenge that many facilities encounter is how to manage the lower or more moderate risk cardiac patients. The evidence-based science and clinical guidelines offer tools to assist in appropriately managing these patients, and in today’s environment, managing these patients is more critical than ever.
Corazon’s accreditation offers a collaborative and educational approach. We will evaluate your program’s level of care offered, even if you do not offer PCI services. We will work together to ensure rapid triage, assessment, and management of your chest pain patient meets and/or exceeds national standards and best practices. Throughout the process, we will monitor your program’s clinical outcomes and provide recommendations where and when recognized.
Remember, the key to any successful program is the ability to capitalize on existing “best practices” and recognize the opportunity to act swiftly and successfully, all the while maintaining patient safety, satisfaction, and overall outcome.
