The College Station Medical Center was notified Monday that it has received Cycle III Chest Pain accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPS). SCPS is an international organization dedicated to the improvement of clinical processes for the early assessment, diagnosis and treatment of acute coronary syndromes such as chest pain, unstable angina and heart attack.

“We are thrilled and proud to have earned this accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers as it publicly attests to our unwavering commitment to excellence in cardiac care,” said Med CEO Tom Jackson.

Jackson said the “Cycle III” designation means that the hospital met the most rigorous existing requirements in earning the accreditation. Hospitals must apply for accreditation in particular cycles, and the requirements become tougher and more exact with each cycle. Receiving the accreditation during Cycle III means that the Med met the most stringent standards.

The Med earned the accreditation by exceeding the requirements set by the Society of Chest Pain Centers for patient outcomes and in exceeding the time requirements set by the Society to get patients from ‘door to balloon’ or from arrival in the emergency room to diagnosis and treatment.”

“People tend to wait when they think they might be having a heart attack, and that’s a mistake,” Eric Wilke, M.D., Emergency Department physician said. “The average patient arrives in the ER more than two hours after the onset of symptoms, but what they don’t know is the sooner a heart attack is treated, the less damage to the heart and the better the outcome.”