As part of a system-wide collaboration between the ACC and LifePoint Health, 35 LifePoint facilities earned Chest Pain Center Accreditation in 2016, bringing the total number of accredited facilities to 63.

“ACC Accreditation Services is proud to collaborate with LifePoint to ensure that each of its hospitals is expertly equipped to deal with patients who arrive with symptoms of a heart attack,” said Abraham Joseph, vice president of ACC Accreditation Services. “LifePoint’s ongoing commitment to ensuring excellence in quality cardiovascular care and patient safety should be commended.”

The newest accreditations are a continuation of LifePoint’s effort to accredit all 72 of its facilities in 22 states across the country, working in concert with ACC Accreditation Services, formerly the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care. Hospitals that receive Chest Pain Center Accreditation have demonstrated a strong commitment to effectively reducing variations of care, bridge existing gaps in treatment and ultimately improving patient outcomes and treatment.

Accredited hospitals have also successfully taken steps to enhance the entire patient experience, starting by improving coordination among community responders and emergency medical services, and expanding to enhance the emergency department experience and refine the transition from surgical intervention (if necessary) to cardiac rehab and discharge.

“At LifePoint, we are deeply committed to delivering high-quality care close to home for the communities we serve,” said David Dill, president and chief operating officer of LifePoint. “With many of our facilities being the sole provider in their communities, it is imperative that we have the right processes in place to ensure the delivery of timely and effective chest pain care in our emergency rooms, and that our clinical teams have the right training to deliver that care. I am proud that so many of our facilities have committed to this program, earned accreditation, and will continue working to improve emergency care for our communities even further.”

"Our mission is making communities healthier, and the work our hospitals are doing through this accreditation process is making a real impact." — David Dill, President and COO of LifePoint

Throughout 2017, another cohort of LifePoint hospitals will be working toward Chest Pain and/or Heart Failure accreditation or re-accreditation as the company strives to achieve Chest Pain Center Accreditation at every hospital in its system.

“Our mission is making communities healthier,” said Dill, “and the work our hospitals are doing through this accreditation process is making a real impact. We are so pleased with the progress our facilities have made and are grateful for the guidance and partnership that ACC Accreditation Services has provided throughout this journey.”

Keywords: Cardiology Magazine, ACC Publications, Accreditation, Anethum graveolens, Chest Pain, Emergency Service, Hospital, Emergency Treatment, Heart Failure, Humans, Myocardial Infarction, Pain Clinics, Patient Discharge, Patient Safety, Cardiology Interventions