Accredited Chest Pain Center

Accredited Chest Pain Center

Nacogdoches Medical Center provides heart care close to home, with the city's only accredited chest pain center capable of treating patients in the early stages of a heart attack. Our goal is to reduce the time from the patient's arrival at the emergency department to treatment - to avoid as much heart damage as possible.

Accreditation distinguishes our hospital from other facilities and signifies our ability to employ rapid diagnosis and treatment of chest pain, assessment of patients, and continued staff training and competency. The designation, given out by the American College of Cardiology and the Joint Commission, establishes Nacogdoches Medical Center as a leader in cardiovascular care in East Texas.

Accredited Chest Pain Centers must demonstrate expertise in:

• Integrating the emergency department with the local emergency medical system
• Assessing, diagnosing, and treating patients quickly
• Effectively treating patients with low risk for acute coronary syndrome and no assignable cause for their symptoms
• Continually seeking to improve processes and procedures
• Ensuring Chest Pain Center personnel competency and training
• Maintaining organizational structure and commitment
• Having 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

In April of 2016, NMC was awarded The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Chest Pain Treatment. The gold seal is a symbol of quality that reflects NMC’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient care. Certification distinguishes our Chest Pain Center from other facilities. It means we employ rapid diagnosis and treatment of chest pain, assessment of patients, and ensure staff training and competency. The designation by the Joint Commission establishes our hospital as a leader in cardiovascular care in Deep East Texas.

NMC underwent a rigorous on-site review in April 2016, during which Joint Commission experts evaluated compliance with national disease-specific care standards as well as with chest pain specific requirements. Clinical practice guidelines and performance measures also were assessed.c

Achieving certification is generally thought to provide enhanced care, better prognosis, improved quality of life, faster treatment and decreased length of stay in the hospital. The Chest Pain team at NMC has one primary goal: to ensure that patients get the treatment they need during the early stages of a heart attack. Their goal is to reduce the time from the patient's arrival at the emergency department to treatment - to avoid as much heart damage as possible. It further exemplifies NMC Health Network’s continued commitment to bring superior quality, life-saving care to our community, family and friends.