Easton Hospital Receives Chest Pain Center Accreditation

Easton, Pa (June 7, 2012) Easton Hospital has once again received Chest Pain Center Accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC), 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.

Hospitals that have received SCPC accreditation have achieved a higher level of expertise in dealing with patients who arrive with symptoms of a heart attack. They emphasize the importance of standardized diagnostic and treatment programs that provide more efficient and effective evaluation as well as more appropriate and rapid treatment of patients with chest pain and other heart attack symptoms. They also serve as a point of entry into the healthcare system to evaluate and treat other medical problems, and they help to promote a healthier lifestyle in an attempt to reduce the risk factors for heart attack.

“Our re-accreditation as a Chest Pain Center shows that Easton Hospital is fully dedicated to providing the highest national standards of care to our cardiac patients,” said Brian Finestein, CEO and President of Easton Hospital. “This accreditation evaluates the entire spectrum of care for heart attack patients—from Emergency Department through Cath Lab through their care and treatment after the procedure.”

To become an Accredited Chest Pain Center, Easton Hospital engaged in rigorous evaluation by SCPC for its ability to assess, diagnose, and treat patients who may be experiencing a heart attack. This means that processes are in place that meet strict criteria aimed at:

1. Reducing the time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis and treatment
2. Treating patients more quickly during the critical window of time when the integrity of the heart muscle can be preserved
3. Monitoring patients when it is not certain that they are having a heart attack to ensure that they are not sent home too quickly or needlessly admitted to the hospital