Weatherford Regional Medical Center Receives Chest Pain Accreditation
Designation recognizes hospital as one of the state’s newest chest pain centers

WEATHERFORD, TX (April 30, 2012) - Weatherford Regional Medical Center (WRMC), building on its long-established reputation of improving the access to quality healthcare – close to home – is now one of the 111 Texas hospitals certified as an accredited Chest Pain Center. The majorities are centered in large metropolitan areas throughout the state and WRMC is proud to be the first Accredited Chest Pain Center in Parker County.  Full accreditation by the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC) is a designation held by only 12 percent of hospitals in the United States.

To receive accreditation, WRMC has demonstrated its expertise and commitment to quality patient care by meeting or exceeding a wide set of stringent criteria and completing on-site evaluations by a SCPC review team.  “This is momentous not only for our hospital and patients, but the community as well,” said Weatherford Regional Medical Center, CEO Cory Countryman.  “It’s another step in our commitment to providing superior emergency and cardiac care to the residents of Parker County and the surrounding communities. While the focus is on our emergency department, this accreditation is possible because of the work and commitment of a multi-disciplinary team that includes employees, physicians and Life Care EMS.”

Chest pain is among the top symptoms of patients who visit the WRMC Emergency Department (ED).  This designation means that any patient who comes to WRMC experiencing chest pain can be confident he or she is receiving care that meets or exceeds the highest national standards of care.  Positive patient outcomes depend on timely intervention, diagnosis and treatment.  Cardiologists, emergency department physicians and patient care staff at the Weatherford Regional Accredited Chest Pain Center consistently demonstrate expertise in streamlined diagnosis and treatment, integration with paramedics/EMS, community education and other key factors that ensure better outcomes for patients. 

“Care for chest pain patients starts long before they arrive at the hospital emergency room," said Donna Boone, RN, MSN, Chief Nursing Officer at Weatherford Regional. "We work closely with the cardiologists and we're proud to have played an integral role with the hospital’s accreditation and specialized cardiac care that ultimately benefits our patients.”

The SCPC is a non-profit international society that promotes protocol-based medicine and the adoption of process improvement science by healthcare providers to address heart attacks and acute heart failure.  In March 2012, SCPC granted the Weatherford Regional Medical Center Chest Pain Center a full three-year accreditation.