St. John's Regional Receives CPI Chest Pain Center Accreditation

The PCI designation means that we use a specialized treatment called percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) as the primary treatment for acute heart attacks. This ensures that patients experiencing an acute heart attack receive rapid treatment in the cardiac catheterization lab to minimize damage to the heart muscle.

One in four heart attack victims will have a severe enough heart attack to require PCI in order to open clogged arteries and restore blood flow to the heart.

To qualify for the PCI designation, a hospital must demonstrate its expertise and commitment to quality patient care by meeting or exceeding a wide set of stringent criteria. If these requirements are met, the Society of Chest Pain Centers then conducts an on-site evaluation.

In addition to Chest Pain Accreditation, St. John’s Regional Medical Center was recently ranked among America’s 100 Best Hospitals in Cardiac Care by Healthgrades for the 3rd year in a row.

Receiving full accreditation as a Chest Pain Center is a remarkable accomplishment,” said Sherri Greif, Stroke and Chest Pain Manager for St. John’s Regional Medical Center. “Our chest pain patients will receive the best care from highly trained professionals following the stringent AHA guidelines. It is gratifying to see this program in action!”

“We are so proud of our accreditation,” said Darren Lee, President and CEO for St. John’s Regional Medical Center. “This, coupled with the awards we recently received from Healthgrades is a testament to the expert level of care we provide to our community.”

Heart attacks are the leading cause of death in the United States, with 600,000 people dying annually of heart disease. More than five million Americans visit hospitals each year with chest pain. SCPC’s goal is to significantly reduce the mortality rate of these patients by teaching the public to recognize and react to the early symptoms of a possible heart attack, reduce the time that it takes to receive treatment, and increase the accuracy and effectiveness of treatment.