Chest Pain Centers: A Comparison of Accreditation Programs in Germany and the United States.

OBJECTIVE: The implementation of chest pain centers (CPC)/units (CPU) has been shown to improve emergency care in patients with suspected cardiac ischemia. METHODS: In an effort to provide a systematic and specific standard of care for patients with acute chest pain, the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC) as well as the German Cardiac Society (GCS) introduced criteria for the accreditation of specialized units. RESULTS: To date, 825 CPCs in the United States and 194 CPUs in Germany have been successfully certified by the SCPC or GCS, respectively. Even though there are differences in the accreditation processes, the goals are quite similar, focusing on enhanced operational efficiencies in the care of the acute coronary syndrome patients, reduced time delays, improved diagnostic and therapeutic strategies using adapted standard operating procedures, and increased medical as well as community awareness by the implementation of nationwide standardized concepts. In addition to national efforts, both societies have launched international initiatives, accrediting CPCs/CPU in the Middle East and China (SCPC) and Switzerland (GCS). CONCLUSION: Enhanced collaboration among international bodies interested in promoting high quality care might extend the opportunity for accreditation of facilities that treat cardiovascular patients, with national programs designed to meet local needs and local healthcare system requirements.

Recommendations for the evaluation and management of observation services: a consensus white paper: the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care.

Observation Services (OS) was founded by emergency physicians in an attempt to manage "boarding" issues faced by emergency departments throughout the United States. As a result, OS have proven to be an effective strategy in reducing costs and decreasing lengths of stay while improving patient outcomes. When OS are appropriately leveraged for maximum efficiency, patients presenting to emergency departments with common disease processes can be effectively treated in a timely manner. A well-structured observation program will help hospitals reduce the number of inappropriate, costly inpatient admissions while avoiding the potential of inappropriate discharges. Observation medicine is a complicated multidimensional issue that has generated much confusion. This service is designed to provide the best possible patient care in a value-based purchasing environment where quality, cost, and patient satisfaction must continually be addressed. Observation medicine is a service not a status. Therefore, patients are admitted to the service as outpatients no matter whether they are placed in a virtual or dedicated observation unit. The key to a successful observation program is to determine how to maximize efficiencies. This white paper provides the reader with the foundational guidance for observational services. It defines how to set up an observational service program, which diagnoses are most appropriate for admission, and what the future holds. The goal is to help care providers from any hospital deliver the most appropriate level of treatment, to the most appropriate patient, in the most appropriate location while controlling costs.