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Rex is First Hospital in Triangle to Receive Enhanced Chest Pain Center Designation
Posted: 04-01-2008 : RALEIGH, N.C.
RALEIGH, N.C. – Rex Hospital has received full re-accreditation as a Chest Pain Center by The Society of Chest Pain Centers. Rex was the first Triangle hospital to receive national accreditation in 2005, and has now been re-accredited with a Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (PCI) designation.
Rex Hospital is the only Triangle hospital to have the special PCI designation and one of only five in North Carolina.
Rex received the enhanced designation for demonstrating quality cardiac care and quick response time using a set of stringent treatment criteria. PCI means that those experiencing a heart attack can be immediately transported to Rex’s cardiac catheterization lab for a procedure that re-establishes blood flow to the blocked vessel.
According to guidelines established by the American College of Cardiologists and the American Heart Association, when done quickly, PCI is the preferred treatment for patients suffering from a heart attack.
“Full Cycle II accreditation with PCI is the gold standard for a Chest Pain Center,” said Mary Lou Powell, senior vice president of patient care services/chief nursing officer at Rex Healthcare. “The Rex Chest Pain Center team is on-call around the clock and every department follows rigorous protocols to ensure that our patients receive the best care during the early stages of a heart attack.”
The Chest Pain Center at Rex Healthcare 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 the Rex Chest Pain Center demonstrated expertise:
- Partnering with Wake EMS to facilitate transmission of pre-hospital EKG’s to rapidly identify patients experiencing heart attacks
- Allowing Wake EMS to activate the resources of the Chest Pain Center prior to the patient’s arrival at the hospital
- Effectively treating patients with low risk for acute coronary syndrome and no assignable cause for their symptoms
- Continually seeking to improve processes and procedures through ongoing patient, staff and physician dialogue
- Ensuring ongoing Chest Pain Center personnel competency and training
- Maintaining organizational resources, structure and commitment
- Having an automated, seamless design that promotes rapid treatment and optimal patient outcomes
- Supporting community outreach programs that educate the public to promptly seek medical care if they display symptoms of a possible heart attack
Heart attacks are the leading cause of death in the U.S., with 600,000 dying annually of heart disease. More than five million Americans visit hospitals each year with chest pain.
About Rex Healthcare
Rex Healthcare is a private, not-for-profit healthcare system with 4,000 employees. Its main Rex Hospital campus in west Raleigh is a 665-bed facility (433 general acute beds, six inpatient hospice and 226 skilled nursing) treating more than 26,000 inpatients each year. Rex offers dedicated centers for family birth, cancer, post acute rehabilitation and skilled nursing care, heart and vascular, same-day surgery and wellness, plus dedicated clinics for pain management, wound care, sleep disorders, diabetes education and state-of-the-art emergency services. Rex provides various healthcare services throughout Wake County with facilities in Cary, Apex, Garner, Wakefield and downtown Raleigh. Rex is also the first hospital in the Triangle, and one of only 10 in North Carolina, to receive Magnet Recognition, which places Rex nurses among the top 2 percent in the country. Rex is the only North Carolina hospital to be recognized as ranking above the national average for heart attack survival.
About the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC)
The Society of Chest Pain Centers is a patient centric non-profit international professional organization focused upon improving care for patients with acute coronary syndromes and other related maladies. Established in 1998, the Society is dedicated to patient advocacy and focusing on ischemic heart disease. Central to its mission is the question, “What is right for the patient?” In answer, the Society promotes protocol based medicine, often delivered through a Chest Pain Center model to address the diagnosis and treatment of acute coronary syndromes, heart failure, and to promote the adoption of process improvement science by healthcare providers. To best fulfill this mission, the Society of Chest Pain Centers provides accreditation to facilities striving for optimum Chest Pain Center care. SCPC is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.
Media Contact: Melody Hunter-Pillion, Rex Healthcare, 919-784-4467
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