New Hanover Regional Medical Center has received accreditation as a Chest Pain Center for its evidence-based, protocol-driven and systematic approach to cardiac patient care that allows clinicians to reduce time to treatment during the critical early stages of a heart attack, health system officials said in a release.

NHRMC received full Chest Pain Center with PCI Accreditation from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC). PCI, or Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, is the designation specific to stent placement or coronary artery angioplasty for cardiac patients.

“Being an accredited Chest Pain Center means NHRMC is working to achieve the highest level of care for patients with heart attack symptoms. This recognition means physicians and staff are able to accurately and efficiently monitor and treat patients so they get the best care possible when having early signs of a heart attack,” Janet DeLucca, NHRMC administrator of cardiac services, said in a news release.

SCPC’s goal is to significantly reduce the mortality rate of these patients by teaching the public to recognize and react to the early symptoms of a possible heart attack, reduce the time that it takes to receive treatment and increase the accuracy and effectiveness of treatment, the release said.

“Chest pain centers better monitor patients when it is not clear whether a patient is having a coronary event. Such monitoring ensures patients are neither sent home too early nor needlessly admitted,” James R. Harper, medical director of the Chest Pain Center, said in the release.

SCPC’s CPC Accreditation process ensures that hospitals meet or exceed a wide set of stringent criteria and undergo a comprehensive on-site review by a team of accreditation review specialists, the release said.

Hospitals that received SCPC CPC Accreditation status have achieved a higher level of expertise in dealing with patients who arrive with symptoms of a heart attack, the release said.