Piedmont Atlanta, Piedmont Fayette, Piedmont Henry, Piedmont Mountainside, Piedmont Newnan, Piedmont Rockdale and Piedmont Walton hospitals recently achieved accreditation as Chest Pain Centers from The American College of Cardiology. Six hospitals received reaccreditation, while Piedmont Walton for the first time received accreditation. Piedmont Athens Regional is also accredited.

“Cardiac patient care always has been among our top priorities at Piedmont and this achievement demonstrates that,” said William Blincoe, M.D., chief medical officer, Piedmont Heart Institute. “Our multidisciplinary teams at these hospitals have worked hard to make this accreditation happen and our patients can rest assured knowing we hold ourselves to a higher standard.”

According to the American Heart Association, heart attacks are the leading cause of death in the United States, with 600,000 people dying annually of heart disease. Nearly half of all adults have some type of cardiovascular disease and more than 5 million Americans visit hospitals each year with chest pain.

An Accredited Chest Pain Center’s evidence-based, protocol-driven and systematic approach to cardiac patient care allows clinicians to reduce time to treatment during the critical early stages of a heart attack. Accredited facilities like Piedmont better monitor patients when it is not initially clear whether a patient is having a coronary event. Such monitoring ensures patients are neither sent home too early nor needlessly admitted.

By earning Chest Pain Center accreditation, Piedmont demonstrates expertise in the following areas:

Integrating the emergency department with the local emergency medical system

Assessing, diagnosing, and treating patients quickly

Effectively treating patients at low risk for acute coronary syndrome and no assignable cause for their symptoms

Continually seeking to improve processes and procedures

Ensuring the competence and training of Accredited Chest Pain Centerpersonnel

Maintaining organizational structure and commitment

Constructing 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