Northeast Georiga Medical Center Habersham recently earned an accreditation as an Emergency Cardiac Care Center.
Their accreditation came in at a Level 3 emergency cardiac care center, recognizing the level of fast and effective care patients receive at the hospital in Demorest, according to officials.
“NGMC Habersham is proud to be recognized by the Georgia Department of Public Health as a Level 3 emergency cardiac care center,” Kevin Matson, vice president of regional hospitals for NGHS said. “The accreditation recognizes the hard work of our hospital staff and regional EMS departments to meet the highest standards of patient care. Furthermore, it illustrates the deep commitment of NGHS to elevate the availability and quality of health care we provide to rural communities in our service area.”
NGMC Habersham now joins NGMC Gainesville (Level 1), NGMC Braselton (Level 2), NGMC Lumpkin (Level 3) and NGMC Barrow (Level 3) in receiving ECCC designation. The Northeast Georgia Health System in 2020 became the state’s first health system to have hospitals accredited as ECCCs.
NGMC Gainesville, Braselton, Lumpkin and Barrow were reaccredited in 2023, according to system officials.
“There’s a saying, ‘Time equals muscle,’ and that means every moment counts when a patient has a major cardiac event,” Habib Samady, MD, FACC, president of Georgia Heart Institute said. “Once a patient from NGMC Habersham comes through that door for an interventional procedure or surgery, we can trust they have received optimal pre-hospital care to allow us to begin treatment as quickly and purposefully as possible.”
Hospitals seeking ECCC accreditation undergo an evaluation process, including a site inspection and an assessment of emergency cardiac care processes and equipment. Once these steps are complete, the Georgia Department of Public Health uses a three-level designation system to rank the capabilities of each facility.
Level 1 hospitals perform open-heart surgery and interventional cardiac catheterization. Level 2 hospitals perform interventional cardiac catheterization. Level 3 hospitals stabilize patients until they are transported to a Level 1 or Level 2 center.
Once a patient is stabilized at NGMC Habersham, they can be transported to NGMC Gainesville for treatment by the interventional cardiologists of Georgia Heart Institute or the surgeons of Northeast Georgia Physicians Group Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, officials said Wednesday.
“Treating a patient who has suffered a heart attack or cardiac arrest requires a high level of coordination and a detailed process that begins long before the patient enters the hospital,” Jeff Adams, director of Habersham County Emergency Medical Services said. “EMS personnel work to stabilize the patient with pre-hospital medications and other measures. While in transport, they connect with the hospital to share vital patient information. This way, hospital personnel are prepared to treat the patient upon arrival without wasting any time.”
