Reading, Pa., March 4, 2010 -- St. Joseph Medical Center has taken its place among the top hospitals in the country in treating chest pain.  The hospital was officially granted accreditation as a Certified Chest Pain Center with PCI by the Board of the Society of Chest Pain Centers, Columbus, OH.

“This accreditation reflects our commitment to a protocol-driven and systematic approach to reduce treatment time during the critical early stages of a heart attack,” said John R. Morahan, St. Joseph's President and Chief Executive Officer. “The additional designation ‘with PCI’ illustrates our commitment to conducting percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), also known as catheterization and angioplasty, on patients suffering from heart attack well within the national standard of 90 minutes of arrival at our Emergency Department.”

The Chest Pain Center’s approach also puts into place systems that enable hospital’s 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.

To quickly assess if a patient is having a problem that requires intervention, St. Joseph receives a 12-lead EKG conducted, in many instances, by first responders in the field (i.e. ground and air ambulance, fire and rescue). If positive, the Emergency team activates the Interventional Cardiac Team. If the patient is a walk-in to the Emergency Department, the hospital immediately conducts its own 12-lead EKG test and, if positive, the same interventional protocol is followed.

Morahan congratulated the St. Joseph Team that “worked diligently over the past 18 months to achieve this milestone.” 

While the final report has not been formally delivered to the hospital, St. Joseph was recognized for 51 distinctive practices, meaning that these practices are the best among all of the other hospitals that have sought accreditation, according to Sharon Strohecker, St. Joseph’s Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Clinical Services.

“Earning Chest Pain Accreditation means that St. Joseph practices and achieves the highest standards of chest pain intervention and treatment available in the country,” added Lori Shober, Director of St. Joseph’s Heart Institute.

St. Joseph’s multidisciplinary heart care teams remain on call 24-hours a day, 7 days a week. Patients presenting in the ER with chest pain and diagnosed with significant cardiac symptoms go right to the Catheterization lab for intervention, such as angioplasty or stent placement.  According to its most recent analysis, the hospital offers interventional procedures often in less than 60 minutes, far faster than the national standard of 90 minutes.

About Chest Pain Centers
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 at St. Joseph Medical Center 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
• Continually seeking to improve processes and procedures
• Ensuring Chest Pain Center personnel competency and training
• 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

St. Joseph Chest Pain Team Members

Hani Salha, MD, Physician Leader, Chest Pain Team Leader

David Wright, MD, Medical Director, Emergency Services

Beverly Livezey, Vice President, Cardiology Services

Lori Shober, Director, St. Joseph Heart Institute

Michele Jones, Director, Emergency Services and Professional Practice

Barbara Pizzo, Manager, PVL/EEG/Non-Invasive Cardiology

Liz Clark, Director, Process and Outcomes Management

Loretta Boyd, Team Leader, Performance Improvement

Deb Demiter, Administrative Director, Radiology

Karen Drumheller, Resource Manager, Nursing Education

Steve Deihl, Manager, 1 North Nursing Unit

Dan Monaghan, Manager, Critical Care and 2 North Nursing Units

Chris Allen, Manager, 1 South Nursing Unit

Deb Motika, Manager, Chemistry Lab

Jim Tunnessen, Emergency Medical Services Liaison

Karen Mengle, Special Projects Coordinator

Cindy Diehl, Case Manager