Banner Baywood Medical Center recently became the East Valley’s only Accredited Chest Pain Center, earning this prestigious status for achieving a higher level of expertise in dealing with patients who arrive with symptoms of a heart attack.
Hospitals that receive accreditation by the Society of Chest Pain Centers emphasize the importance of 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 help to promote a healthier lifestyle in an attempt to reduce the risk factors for heart attack.
Patients who are treated for chest pain at Banner Baywood also benefit from the facility’s partnership with Banner Heart Hospital, one of the largest free-standing heart hospitals in the United States. The accreditation recognizes the availability of emergency treatment options on one medical campus through Banner Baywood’s Emergency Department and Banner Heart’s advanced cardiac care, such as catheterization procedures.
To become an Accredited Chest Pain Center, Banner Baywood engaged in rigorous evaluation for its ability to assess, diagnose, and treat patients who may be experiencing a heart attack. This means Banner Baywood uses processes that meet strict criteria aimed at:
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Reducing the time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis and treatment
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Treating patients more quickly during the critical window of time when the integrity of the heart muscle can be preserved
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Monitoring patients when it is not certain that they are having a heart attack to ensure that they are not sent home too quickly or needlessly admitted to the hospital
“People tend to wait when they think they might be having a heart attack, and that’s a mistake,” states Dr. Larry Spratling, Chief Medical Officer for Banner Baywood. “The average patient arrives in the emergency department more than two hours after the onset of symptoms, but what they don’t realize is that the sooner a heart attack is treated, the less damage to the heart and the better the outcome for the patient.”
Banner Baywood’s state-of-the-art healthcare encompasses the entire continuum of care for the heart patient and includes such focal points as the hospital’s dispatch, Emergency Medical System, emergency department, cath lab, quality assurance plan, and community outreach program. By becoming an Accredited Chest Pain Center, Banner Baywood has enhanced the quality of care for the cardiac patient and has demonstrated its commitment to higher standards.
Banner Baywood Medical Center is a 340-bed facility known for its world-class programs in stroke care, oncology, women’s health, orthopedics and surgical technologies. The facility opened in 1984 and serves the growing East Valley communities of Mesa, Gilbert, Apache Junction, Queen Creek, Fountain Hills and areas of northeastern Pinal County. Banner Baywood Medical Center employs more than 1,500 health care professionals and support staff, and has approximately 500 volunteers.