Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare is the first hospital system in Memphis to achieve the designation of Accredited Chest Pain Centers with Percutaneous Intervention (PCI) at multiple locations. The accreditation awarded by the Society of Chest Pain Centers to Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown, Methodist North, Methodist South, and Methodist University hospitals brings high-level cardiac care to patients in all corners of our community which is vitally important when treating heart attacks because every second counts when medical professionals are working to save heart muscle.

“Receiving accreditation for all four of our Memphis chest pain centers is a mark of distinction showing our commitment to providing the best cardiac care to our patients,” said Marianne Fournie, corporate director, emergency services for Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare.

Memphis dentist Dr. Steve Zitek knows how important every second is during a heart attack. It took just 48 minutes from the time he entered the emergency department at Methodist North Hospital until he had his artery re-opened, which far exceeds the national standard of 90 minutes set by national healthcare regulatory agencies.

“I was very impressed with the cardiac care I received,” said Dr. Zitek. “The emergency staff and the medical staff responded very quickly. The team in the cath lab was ready and waiting for me and they knew exactly what to do.”

It takes teamwork within the hospital walls and outside those walls to reduce the time it takes for patients who are experiencing a heart attack to receive the medical procedure they need. During the last two months, Methodist’s Accredited Chest Pain Centers have exceeded the national standard of 90 minutes 100 percent of the time.

“Being able to exceed the national goal of 90 minutes begins in the field and requires collaboration with Emergency Medical Services (EMS) performing 12-lead EKGs at the patient’s home,” explained Fournie. “It also requires the emergency department to have a medical team ready at the door along with an interventional cardiologist and cath lab team in the hospital or on-call and on the premises within 30 minutes 24/7.”

To receive this accreditation Chest Pain Centers must demonstrate expertise in several key areas including:

• 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 ensuring staff competencies

Dr. Zitek is back working in his dental office and he is just one of many patients who benefit from the quality cardiac care Methodist Hospitals Hospitalprovide through the hospital system’s Accredited Chest Pain Centers.

The Society of Chest Pain Centers (www.scpcp.org)is a patient-centered non-profit international professional organization focused upon improving care for patients with acute coronary syndromes and other related illnesses and diseases.