In addition, the hospital and its Ronnie Green Heart Center are the first in the country to receive ACE accreditation for CAS and the first in Georgia to receive any ACE accreditation.
"To be first in the world to receive two ACE accreditations is the ultimate testimony of our commitment to making NGMC a world-class destination for heart and vascular care," says Carol Burrell, president and CEO of Northeast Georgia Health System. "Congratulations to our physicians, clinical staff and regional EMS departments who ensure we provide the exceptional health care that led to this recognition."
ACE accreditation is an in-depth, independent review of an organization's structure, internal processes, patient safety practices and clinical outcomes to determine if they meet the standards established by experts in cardiac and endovascular care. Facilities that undergo this voluntary and rigorous process demonstrate an exceptional commitment to providing the best possible care to patients. ACE was created through a collaboration of The Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC).
NGMC's ACE accreditation for PCI includes angioplasty and the placement of stents, which are the two most common treatments for heart attack patients. The ACE accreditation for carotid artery stenting applies specifically to a procedure that widens narrowed portions of a patient's neck arteries to improve or restore blood flow to the brain. This procedure has been shown to reduce the rate of strokes in certain patients.
"These accreditations demonstrate our institutional commitment to carotid artery stenting and exemplify our accomplishments in improving heart attack and angiolplasty care as efficiently as possible," says J. Jeffery Marshall, MD, an interventional cardiologist with Northeast Georgia Heart Center; medical director of Cardiac Cath Labs at NGMC; and president of SCAI. "One hundred percent of our patients suffering severe heart attacks, known as STEMIs, receive PCI in less than 90 minutes after their arrival, which is the national benchmark. In fact, our patients receive PCI in an average of less than 55 minutes. You won't find this level of accredited heart and vascular care anywhere else in Georgia.
To learn more about heart and vascular services at NGMC visit nghs.com/Heart or call 770-219-3840.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2012/7/250453