OLEAN — Olean General Hospital’s Chest Pain Center has earned a full three-year accreditation from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC) for chest pain and treatment of patients with acute coronary syndrome and in percutaneous cardiac intervention (PCI), officials announced Tuesday.
The hospital earned general accreditation from the SCPC for its Chest Pain Center in 2013, and then accreditation in PCI in October 2014. PCI is a nonsurgical procedure (catheterization) performed by interventional cardiologists to treat narrowed arteries of the heart through the insertion of balloons, stents and other devices to reopen blood flow to the heart, officials explained.
PCI has been performed at OGH since October 2013, when OGH and Kaleida Health’s Gates Vascular Institute opened the Interventional Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory in Olean. The accreditation recognizes adherence to SCPC’s stringent standards in assessing, diagnosing and treating cardiac patients, including performance in interventional cardiac catheterization procedures. Since opening, the OGH/Kaleida cardiac catheterization lab has performed more than 1,400 procedures, including nearly 200 emergency catheterizations on patients suffering from heart attacks, officials said.
OGH is the only hospital in the region, and one of six in the state, to hold full accreditation with PCI from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care.
The SCPC accreditation underscores the commitment to quality care by OGH Emergency Department staff, cardiologists, cardiac catheterization team and regional Emergency Medical Services providers.
“We are all proud of our cardiovascular team, which has demonstrated its expertise and commitment to quality patient care by meeting or exceeding a wide set of stringent criteria and undergoing an on-site review by a team of SPCP’s accreditation review specialists,” said Dr. Ahmad Hilal, Chest Pain Center medical director.
“This accomplishment demonstrates that our Chest Pain Center and the Olean General Hospital/Gates Vascular Institute Interventional Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory are performing at a quality level rivaling programs in large cities,” added Dr. Christopher Mallavarapu, medical director of the interventional cardiac catheterization laboratory and OGH. “The cardiac team has worked very hard to build a quality heart program in Olean. The accreditation is one more indicator that we are doing it right and making a difference.”
Upper Allegheny Health System (UAHS) CEO Tim Finan added: “Our team is continually focused on continuous performance improvement, and our special partnership with Emergency Medical Service providers across the region is a big reason lives are being saved by our heart program.
“This newly awarded accreditation highlights the success of our entire organization to work collaboratively toward one goal, the betterment of everyone,” added Finan, who is also president and CEO of UAHS member facilities Olean General Hospital and Bradford (Pa.) Regional Medical Center.
