Spectrum Health Butterworth Campus Is First Accredited Chest Pain Center In Michigan

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., May 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The Society of Chest Pain Centers has granted the designation of Accredited Chest Pain Center to Spectrum Health - Butterworth Campus, making it the first in Michigan and the 33rd in the nation to be accredited.

“This community outreach program is one of the strongest programs that the Society has reviewed to date,” stated Scott Soronen, lead reviewer for the Society’s accreditation team.

“Improving the quality of care for heart attack victims and our approach to that care is an ongoing effort,” said Matt Van Vranken, President, Spectrum Health Hospitals - Grand Rapids. “This honor reflects the hard work our physicians and staff put into that effort and is a great reflection of their dedication to our patients.”

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 ensures centers meet or exceed quality-of- care measures in acute cardiac medicine.

“This certification is validation for an approach in caring for heart patients that we’ve been following for some time,” said Chief of Cardiology Richard McNamara, MD. “Coupled with community education on the early warning signs of a possible heart attack and the need for immediate action, we know it can result in better outcomes for our patients.”

The Chest Pain Center at Spectrum Health Butterworth Campus 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 have display symptoms of a possible heart attack.

“Quickly identifying a patient that may be experiencing heart trouble and beginning the process of assessment and treatment begins in the Emergency Department or ambulance, but continues with a full team effort,” said Emergency Physician James Schweigert, MD, Medical Director of Emergency Medicine for Spectrum Health Hospitals. “This accreditation recognizes the skills and training of many professionals and we’re proud of all of them.”

About Spectrum Health

Spectrum Health is a West Michigan-based regional health system. With 14,000 employees, it is one of the top integrated health systems in the country. The health system is comprised of nine hospitals with more than 2,000 licensed beds, 1,600 medical staff members, 140 service sites, a 400,000-member health plan, helicopter transport service, long-term and continuing care services, home care and hospice care. Spectrum Health has earned numerous national awards in the past year, including Top 100 Cardiovascular Hospitals, being in Money magazine’s listing of best hospitals and earning the 13th position in Verispan’s 100 Integrated Healthcare Network status.

About The Society of Chest Pain Centers

The Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC) is an international professional society focused on improving care for patients with acute coronary syndromes and related maladies. The Society is committed to improving the quality of patient care through protocol-based medicine and the adoption of process improvement science to healthcare. SCPC is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. For more information, visit http://www.scpcp.org/ .

For more information on Spectrum Health, contact Bruce Rossman, Media Relations Manager at 616-391-3706.

For more information on the Society of Chest Pain Centers, please contact Robert Weisenburger Lipetz, Executive Director at (614) 274-9710 or director@scpcp.org.

The Society of Chest Pain Centers

CONTACT: Bruce Rossman, Media Relations Manager of Spectrum Health,+1-616-391-3706; or Robert Weisenburger Lipetz, Executive Director of Societyof Chest Pain Centers, +1-614-274-9710, or director@scpcp.org

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