Bedford Memorial Hospital Chest Pain Center Earns Accreditation
Central Virginia's First Rural Accredited Chest Pain Center
Bedford Memorial Hospital (BMH) was recently awarded the Accredited Chest Pain Center designation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC). Currently, there are only 505 SCPC-accredited chest pain centers nationwide.
To earn SCPC accreditation, hospitals must demonstrate that they have the commitment and resources to provide quality cardiac care. According to David B. Alligood, M.D., medical director for BMH’s Emergency Department and co-director for the BMH Chest Pain Center, earning the SCPC accreditation was a 12-month process.
“The bulk of the process involved us formalizing and implementing evidence-based criteria for people who have chest pain,” says Dr. Alligood. “Every person on the team – from rescue personnel and hospitalists, to the doctors, nurses and those in the obstetrics/gynecology and intensive care units – had to be educated on the criteria. We had to be on the same page with everything.”
Throughout the 12 months of preparation, members of the BMH nursing staff met with hospitalists and emergency medical services (EMS) workers and paramedics to help ensure all parties were tightly integrated with BMH’s physicians and nurses.
“As part of the chest pain protocol, emergency workers in the field can transmit electrocardiogram (EKG) and other vital information directly to our emergency department by radio and fax, allowing doctors to prepare an immediate response,” Dr. Alligood said.
Teamwork for Better Care
Most people who arrive at Bedford Memorial Hospital with chest pain are put on 23-hour “observation status.” During that time, such patients receive three sets of blood work and various heart exams. In addition to treating patients who are currently experiencing heart problems, the Chest Pain Center focuses on preventing cardiovascular diseases.
“One of our main goals is to identify and treat heart disease earlier in life, even preventing its beginnings," says Paula R. Smith, M.D., Co-Director of Bedford Memorial Hospital Chest Pain Center. "By doing so, this will enable patients to make lifestyle changes now and add years to one’s lifespan.”
Dr. Alligood says a high level of teamwork is vital to BMH being able to achieve exceptional quality in areas like chest pain treatment. For example, more than 95 percent of the time, people who come into BMH’s emergency room with chest pain can get an EKG within 10 minutes.
The key is getting to the Chest Pain Center when the signs of cardiac issues arise.
"If you experience chest pain or other heart attack symptoms, don’t wait," Alligood says. "Call 9-1-1 and seek medical attention immediately. As a chest pain center, it’s our job to figure out what’s going on, and to fast-track treatment if you’re really having heart problems.”
To learn more about the signs of heart attack, visit www.knowthefive.com.