Torresdale and Frankford Hospital – Bucks County recently received full accreditation as Chest Pain Centers by demonstrating expertise and commitment to quality patient care, meeting or exceeding a wide set of stringent criteria and completing on-site evaluations by a review team from the Society of Chest Pain Centers. Key areas in which a Chest Pain Center must demonstrate expertise include:

• Integrating the emergency department with the local emergency medical system
• Assessing, diagnosing, and treating patients quickly
• Effectively treating patients with low risk for acute coronary syndrome and no assignable cause for their symptoms
• Continually seeking to improve processes and procedures
• Ensuring Chest Pain Center personnel competency and training
• Maintaining organizational structure and commitment
• Having a functional design that promotes optimal patient care
• Supporting community outreach programs that educate the public to promptly seek medical care if they display symptoms of a possible heart attack

Frankford-Torresdale and Frankford-Bucks are only the 4th and 5th accredited Chest Pain Centers in Pennsylvania, and the 285th and 286th in the nation, respectively.