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Mercy General Hospital's Chest Pain Center With PCI Reaccredited

Mercy General was the first Sacramento hospital accredited, in 2009.

Mercy General Hospital, located at 4001 J Street, Sacramento, recently received renewal of its Accredited Chest Pain Center with PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) designation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC). In 2009 Mercy General Hospital became the first Accredited Chest Pain Center in Sacramento. The current accreditation is valid through July 25, 2015.

"Reaccreditation signifies our consistent systematic approach for chest pain patients, ensuring better outcomes," stated Doris Frazier, Vice President, Cardiovascular Services, Mercy General Hospital. "This integrated approach provides timely treatment of patients experiencing chest pain from prompt identification of symptoms in the community to swift response from Emergency Medical Responders to immediate treatment in the Emergency Department to direct access to any necessary procedures in the catheterization lab," added Frazier. "We are dedicated to provide the best in heart attack care," Frazier continued.

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 to the hospital.

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 Mercy General 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

About Mercy General Hospital 
Mercy General Hospital has been serving the Sacramento community for more than 100 years. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy, Mercy General has been at its current site in the heart of East Sacramento since 1925. Mercy General Hospital has 342 beds, a physician staff of more than 800 and leads the state in open-heart surgery. Mercy General is one of six Sacramento area hospitals that are part of Dignity Health, a system of 40 hospitals and medical centers in California, Arizona and Nevada and the nation?s eighth largest healthcare system. Mercy General Hospital provided $57,712,307 in unsponsored care and programs for the benefit of our community in FY 2011.

About Dignity Health
Dignity Health, headquartered in San Francisco, Calif., provides integrated, patient and family centered care. It is the fifth largest health system in the country with 10,000 physicians and 55,000 employees across Arizona, California, and Nevada. Through its network of more than 150 ancillary care sites and 40 acute care hospitals, Dignity Health is committed to delivering compassionate, high-quality, affordable health care services with special attention to the poor and underserved. In 2011, Dignity Health provided $1.4 billion in charity care, community benefit and unreimbursed patient care. 

About the Society of Chest Pain Centers
The Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC) is an international not-for-profit organization that focuses on transforming cardiovascular care by assisting facilities in their effort to create communities of excellence that bring together quality, cost and patient satisfaction. As the only cross-specialty organization, SCPC provides the support needed for inpidual hospitals and hospital systems to effectively bridge existing gaps in treatment by providing the tools, education and support necessary to successfully navigate the changing face of healthcare. Read more about SCPC, accreditation and certification opportunities, or call toll free (877) 271-4176.

Publish date: 

Friday, July 06, 2012

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Media Contact: 

Lindsay Leszczynski 
External Communications Manager
[email protected]