Baptist Memorial Hospital – North Mississippi has been recognized by the American College of Cardiology for its efforts in treating patients with chest pain.

The hospital was awarded Chest Pain Center Accreditation with Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) last month.

The accreditation comes after an on-site evaluation of the hospital staff’s ability to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients who may be experience a heart attack. PCI is also known as coronary angioplasty. It is a non-surgical procedure that opens narrowed or blocked coronary arteries with a balloon to relieve symptoms of heart disease or reduce heart damage during or after a heart attack

“Baptist North Mississippi has demonstrated its commitment to providing Lafayette County and the surrounding area with excellent heart care,” Phillip D. Levy, MD, FACC, said. “ACC Accreditation Services is proud to award Baptist North Mississippi with Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI Accreditation.”

Levy is the chair of the ACC Accreditation Management Board.

Hospitals that receive the accreditation must take part in a multi-faceted clinical process that involves completing a gap analysis, examining variances of care, developing an action plan and an on-site review and monitoring for sustained success. Facilities that achieve accreditation meet or exceed an array of criteria and have organized a team of doctors, nurses, clinicians and other administrative staff that earnestly support the efforts leading to better patient education and improved patient outcomes.

“This higher level of accreditation recognizes the outstanding care our Heart Center provides our cardiac patients,” Bill Henning, Administrator and CEO of Baptist North Mississippi, said. “The dedicated focus, teamwork and collaboration exhibited by our cardiac physician and our clinical team throughout the hospital are the reason Baptist North Mississippi earned this impressive designation. Our community members are the ones who benefit most from having this advanced level of cardiac care so close to home.”

The ACC offers U.S. and international hospitals such as Baptist North Mississippi access to a comprehensive suite of cardiac accreditation services designed to optimize patient outcomes and improve hospital financial performance.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention more than 730,000 Americans suffer a heart attack each year. The most common symptoms of a heart attack for both men and women is chest pain or discomfort.