Released: November 8, 2010

The Chester County Hospital received full accreditation with PCI from the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC) on November 1, 2010.

"While The Chester County Hospital has steadfastly provided superior care to those experiencing chest pain, it is a great honor to now have these processes recognized for their quality and their positive impact on our community," states H.L. Perry Pepper, President and CEO of The Chester County Hospital and Health System.

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. SCPC's 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.

The Accredited 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 or not they are having a coronary event. Such observation helps ensure that patients are neither sent home too early nor needlessly admitted.

With the increase in chest pain centers came the need to establish standards designed to improve the consistency and quality of care provided to patients. SCPC's accreditation process ensures that centers meet or exceed quality-of-care measures in acute cardiac medicine.

The Accredited Chest Pain Center at The Chester County Hospital has demonstrated its expertise and commitment to quality patient care by meeting or exceeding a wide set of stringent criteria and undergoing an onsite review by a team of SPCP's accreditation review specialists. Key areas in which an Accredited Chest Pain Center must demonstrate expertise include the following:

• 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
• Continually seeking to improve processes and procedures
• Ensuring the competence and training of Accredited Chest Pain Center personnel
• Maintaining organizational structure and commitment
• Having a functional design that promotes optimal patient care
• Supporting community outreach programs that educate the public to promptly seek medical care if they display symptoms of a possible heart attack

"When experiencing chest pain, people tend to put off seeking help and that's a mistake," states Timothy Boyek, M.D., The Chester County Hospital's Medical Director of the Cardiac Diagnostic and Interventional Catheterization Laboratories. "The average patient arrives in the emergency department more than two hours after the onset of symptoms, but what they don't realize is that time is muscle and the sooner a heart attack is treated, the less damage to the heart and the better the outcome for the patient."

When you or anyone around you experience chest pain, call 9-1-1 immediately. The faster you receive care, the better the chance of salvaging heart muscle and ultimately your life.

About The Chester County Hospital
The Chester County Hospital has grown from a 10-bed dispensary established in 1892 to a full network of healthcare services, including a 220-bed, acute care hospital; home care; and many ancillary services. In addition to the main hospital campus in West Chester, services can be found at satellite locations in Exton, Lionville, West Goshen, Kennett Square, New Garden, and West Grove. To offer this wide range of programs, The Chester County Hospital has partnered with other health care providers who share a common mission and vision -- to improve the health status of the community. These affiliations include Cleveland Clinic in cardiac surgery; Penn Medicine in oncology, radiation oncology, and radiology; and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in neonatal and pediatric care.

About the Society of Chest Pain Centers
Established in 1998, SCPC is a patient-centric nonprofit international organization focused on improving care for patients with heart disease. Central to SCPC's mission is the question, "What is right for the patient?" In response, SCPC promotes protocol-based medicine, often delivered through a chest pain center model, to address the diagnosis and treatment of acute coronary syndrome and heart failure and to promote the adoption of process improvement science by healthcare providers. To best fulfill this mission, SCPC provides accreditation and education to facilities striving for optimum cardiac care. SCPC is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.

Last Updated: 12/22/2010