Chest pain centers now can be accredited
Whether your facility has a chest pain center or not, this news will be of keen interest to you as an ED manager: There is now an accreditation process for chest pain centers.
"The chest pain center model soon will become the preferred practice at most American hospitals," predicts Robert Weisenburger Lipetz, executive director of the Columbus, OH-based Society of Chest Pain Centers and Providers. The organization’s accreditation process will accomplish two things for ED managers, he says: It will give clear guidelines for care of chest pain patients and provide added leverage to convince administrators to commit more resources to improving care of these patients.
"This creates an action plan for better patient outcomes," Weisenburger Lipetz says. "It also provides a blueprint that can be presented to administration to clearly make the case for needed resources."
ED managers now have a road map to follow for the early diagnosis and treatment of acute coronary syndrome, based on peer-reviewed clinical literature, he says. The goal is to help facilities to establish programs to meet their individual needs, Weisenburger Lipetz explains. "This must be done in a manner that ensures continuing improvement in performance," he says.
Accreditation is based not only on the moment in time when reviewed, but on how you are set up to continue to improve for better patient outcomes, he explains.
"We provide education to the facilities on how to operate most effectively," he says. "Thus, the accreditation review process becomes an educational tool for the facility, not a compliance threat."
There will be four workshops given in the next nine months, he adds. "It is in the best interests of the ED manager to attend and become the local expert’ on the requirements for a true chest pain center and how to obtain accreditation," says Weisenburger Lipetz. (See "Resources" section, below, for more information.)
Resources
For more information on chest pain centers, contact:
- Robert Weisenburger Lipetz, Executive Director, Society of Chest Pain Centers and Providers, 4900 Reed Road, Suite 209, Columbus, OH 43220-3164. Telephone/Fax: (614) 326-1264. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: www.scpcp.org.
- The Society of Chest Pain Centers and Providers (SCPCP) Sixth National Congress of Chest Pain Centers will be held May 8-10, 2003, in San Francisco. The conference will address all aspects of chest pain center operation, including clinical procedures, reimbursement, and operational issues. For more information, go to www.scpcp.org/congress/6thcongress.html. Workshops on chest pain center accreditation will be held May 7, 2003, in San Francisco; July 11, 2003, in Minneapolis; and Oct. 27, 2003, in Tampa, FL. To register or for more information, contact: SCPCP, 4900 Reed Road, Suite 209, Columbus, OH 43220. Telephone/ Fax: (614) 326-1264. E-mail: [email protected].
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