Chest Pain Center Accreditation Designations

There are three types of designations for Chest Pain Center Accreditation each based on a facility's STEMI treatment capabilities and strategies. The requirements for each of the three designations are as follows:

Chest Pain Center

This designation is for those facilities that do not have 24/7 primary PCI coverage every day of the year. Facilities with this designation will have a robust detailed transfer (referral) protocol in place which addresses transfer procedures and/or potential fibrinolytic therapy if the expected First Medical Contact (FMC) to intervention time will exceed 120 minutes.

Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI

Hospitals awarded this designation have Primary PCI available 24/7 every day of the year. This means they have a call team made up of the cardiac catheterization (cath) lab staff and an interventional cardiologist who arrive to the facility within 30 minutes of STEMI activation. These facilities have formal agreements with the facilities that regularly refer STEMI patients for primary PCI.

Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI and Resuscitation

Hospitals that receive this designation must meet all requirements of the CPC with Primary PCI designation and will be equipped with a robust target temperature management (TTM) program which includes policies, procedures, and protocols for post–cardiac arrest treatment. These facilities must also maintain a "No Diversion Policy" for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients. This designation also requires formation of a multidisciplinary Resuscitation Committee.

Chest Pain Center Accreditation builds upon previous versions of Chest Pain Center Accreditation (CPC) — combining quality initiatives, current ACC/AHA guidelines, and clinical best-practices to produce the most robust delivery model for LOW-RISK, NSTE-ACS, STEMI and Resuscitation. CPC Accreditation applies a holistic approach to CV care — one that is designed to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease on patients as well as on the hospitals and clinicians that assess, treat, and manage the CV population.

Each facility that begins Chest Pain Center Accreditation is assigned an expert navigator to assist them along the accreditation journey. ACC's Accreditation Review Specialists are highly dedicated clinicians with real-world experience treating cardiovascular (CV) patients in the hospital setting. Individually and collectively, they are an indispensable resource for those who are committed to implementing the essential elements of quality improvement.

Accreditation training prepares facilities to begin the quality and process improvement journey. Each ACC Accreditation includes comprehensive education to orient your staff to the fundamental elements of the accreditation process. 

Note: The Accreditation purchase process (including ACC business agreement and payment for initial year of Accreditation participation or recurring annual payment) must be completed in order to gain access to the Accreditation tool and related training. Please contact accreditationinfo@acc.org for more information.

The American College of Cardiology publishes several highly-regarded journals about cardiovascular medicine. In addition, it provides several online resources through its CardioSmart and Quality Improvement for Institutions programs.

We’re often asked about the long-term vision of Chest Pain Center Accreditation and topics related to treatment of the ACS patient. Included here are a few of the more responses to some of the more commonly asked questions we receive about Chest Pain Center Accreditations and ACS treatment.