RICHLAND, Wash.-Kadlec Regional Medical Center has received a statewide award for its care of patients experiencing chest pains and heart attacks.
Kadlec was recently presented with the 2023 Performance Recognition Award from the Foundation for Health Care Quality and Cardiac Care Outcomes Assessment Program.
We’ve worked at this for some time, and we are always looking at new and better ways to treat patients,” said Abagail Richardson, RN, STEMI Coordinator.
Kadlec was recognized for its percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) program, a non-surgical procedure that uses a tube to inflate a balloon to place a stent in patients.
The award is based on quality metrics for low rates of complications and how quickly a patient can get the procedure in an emergency according to a Kadlec press release. The sooner the vessels are opened, the less damage there is to the heart
Kadlec began offering PCI procedures in 2001 when it opened the first nationally accredited Chest Pain Center in the region according to a press release announcing the award.
PCI is one component of Kadlec’s comprehensive heart program that also includes education, cooperation between emergency transport, cardiac care and open-heart surgery.
“The work encompasses everyone, from Emergency Medical Services to emergency department nurses receiving specialized cardiac training, emergency physicians following best practices, our amazing nurses and technicians in the cardiac catheterization lab, and the nurses, dietitians, and pharmacists who care for our cardiac patients in the hospital after their procedure,” said Richarson.
