University Medical Center of El Paso (UMC) has received full accreditation as a designated Chest Pain Center with Percutaneous Coronary Intervention by the Society of Chest Pain Centers, an international organization. The accreditation follows a rigorous on-site survey by representatives of the society.
To receive designation, a hospital must meet or exceed a wide set of stringent criteria and demonstrate their commitment to reducing the time it takes for patients experiencing symptoms of a possible heart attack to receive treatment. They must also create an effective system to get patients into the catheterization lab so a blocked coronary artery can be opened in the shortest amount of time. The American Heart Association recommends that angioplasty be done within 90 minutes of a patient’s arrival in the Emergency Department. UMC’s “door to balloon time” averages less than 60 minutes.
Other El Paso hospitals with the designation of Chest Pain Center include: Sierra Medical Center, Providence Memorial Hospital, Las Palmas Medical Center and Del Sol Medical Center.
More than 600,000 Americans die each year from a heart attack, making it the leading cause of death for both men and women. The goal of the Society of Chest Pain Centers and of UMC is to significantly reduce the mortality rate of these patients by teaching the public to recognize and act on early symptoms of a possible heart attack by seeking medical help. Heart attack symptoms include:
- Chest pain or discomfort, such as pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of left side of the chest.
- Upper body discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or upper part of the stomach.
- Shortness of breath, which may occur with or before chest discomfort.
- Nausea, vomiting, light-headedness or sudden dizziness, or breaking out in a cold sweat. Patients may also experience heartburn, sleep problems, fatigue and lack of energy.
The Society of Chest Pain Centers
UMC recognized for initiatives aimed at improving patient care outcomes [origially posted Apr 18, 2012]
University Medical Center of El Paso has received the Texas Healthcare Quality Improvement Silver Award from TMF® Health Quality Institute, the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for Texas. UMC was the only hospital district in Texas to earn the Texas healthcare Quality Improvement Silver Award. TMF established the awards program in partnership with The Texas Hospital Association, Texas Medical Association, Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals and Texas Osteopathic Medical Association. Texas Health Care Quality Improvement Awards honor Texas hospitals that are performing quality initiatives aimed at improving outcomes in patient care related to acute myocardial infarction or AMI (heart attack), heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care. The award will be presented to UMC during a ceremony in Austin on May 3, 2012.
UMC earns accreditation in diabetes education [originally posted June 29, 2011]
The American Association of Diabetes Educators has awarded accreditation to University Medical Center’s Diabetes Management Program. It will allow the hospital’s certified diabetes educators to expand their work. UMC’s program provides people with self-management training in areas such as accurately monitoring their blood glucose levels, and adopting healthy eating habits and exercise. Studies prove that ongoing diabetes education dramatically improves the health and quality of people’s lives and it reduces healthcare costs
UMC is the only local hospital to win a Medal of Honor [originally posted Nov. 8, 2010]
University Medical Center of El Paso received the Department of Health and Human Services’ Medal of Honor for Organ Donation. This award is one of 20 in Texas and 307 in U.S. for success in increasing the number of organs available for transplantation. The HHS Medal of Honor also went to 28 organ procurement organizations, 157 transplant programs, and 11 individuals. Awardees were honored at the Sixth National Learning Congress for the Donation and Transplantation Community of Practice held in Grapevine, Texas.
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