Metroplex Receives Coveted Accreditation

Metroplex Adventist Hospital is now a fully accredited Chest Pain Center (CPC) with Primary PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) with Resuscitation according to an announcement made by the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC).

“We are honored to be recognized with this accreditation by the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care,” said Carlyle Walton, president and CEO of Metroplex Healthcare System. “Our cardiology team works very hard every day to provide world-class heart care to our patients.”

“A heart attack can happen to anyone,” said Umad Ahmad, M.D., medical director of cardiovascular services and chief of medical staff at Metroplex Health System. “We hope that by receiving this accreditation the public will know that they can receive the best care right here in our community.”

SCPC’s CPC Accreditation process was created as greater numbers of facilities in the United States sought to establish standards and adopt best practices in the quality of care provided to patients experiencing chest pain. The process ensures that hospitals meet or exceed an array of stringent criteria and undergo a comprehensive onsite review by a team of accreditation review specialists. Hospitals that receive SCPC CPC Accreditation status have achieved a higher level of expertise in dealing with patients who present with symptoms of a heart attack. They emphasize the importance of standardized diagnostic and treatment programs that provide more efficient and effective evaluation as well as more appropriate and rapid treatment of patients with chest pain and other heart attack symptoms. They also serve as a point of entry into the healthcare system to evaluate and treat other medical problems, and they help to promote a healthier lifestyle in an attempt to reduce the risk factors for heart attack.

To achieve SCPC’s Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI with Resuscitation Accreditation status, Metroplex demonstrated expertise in eight areas that ranged from quickly diagnosing patients to supporting community outreach programs that educate the public on what to do if they experience the symptoms of a heart attack. One area Metroplex put particular emphasis on was to integrate the emergency department with local emergency medical systems (EMS).

“We are incorporating pre-hospital care as a very important part of our treatment plan,” said Ahmad. “Through a partnership with our local EMS, we are now able to initiate care the moment the ambulance crew makes contact with the patient, and we can monitor that patient all the way to the hospital. This allows us to save time which can leave to a more successful outcome.”

The partnership between Metroplex and area EMS began in 2015 when the Metroplex Health System Foundation funded new equipment and software that would allow Killeen and Copperas Cove ambulances to wirelessly transmit electrocardiogram (EKG) results from the ambulance, straight to the emergency room at the touch of a button. By receiving clear EKG results directly from ambulances in route, the Metroplex Emergency Department can assemble their cardiac staff before the patient arrives at the hospital and get the patient into the cardiac catheterization lab for faster treatment.

The SCPC’s CPC Accreditation comes as the Hospital is undergoing a $4.35 million renovation to create a new Heart and Vascular Center.

The state-of-the-art center will boast advanced technology that will allow doctors to diagnose and treat heart and vascular issues of all kinds. One example of this technology is the Siemens Artis Q, which has 3D capabilities that allow enhanced guidance during interventional procedures for threatening diseases such as coronary artery disease and stroke.

In addition to new equipment, the new Heart and Vascular Center will add a cardiac catheterization lab, giving the hospital a total of three, and it will increase the number of holding beds and procedure rooms.

“The expansion will allow us to treat more heart and vascular patients right here in Central Texas,” said Ahmad.

To learn more about the cardiovascular treatment offerings at Metroplex, please call Call254-529-7523 or visit AdventHealth Central Texas.