Dominican Re-Certified as Chest Pain Center

Dignity Health Dominican Hospital has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Chest Pain Certification. The Gold Seal of Approval® is a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient care.

“We are pleased to again receive the Chest Pain Certification from The Joint Commission, the premier health care quality improvement and accrediting body in the nation,” said Dominican Hospital President, Nanette Mickiewicz, MD. “As Santa Cruz County’s only heart attack receiving center, this certification underscores how seriously we take our responsibility to care for our community.”

To achieve this advanced certification, Dominican Hospital underwent a rigorous on-site review. Joint Commission experts evaluated compliance with national disease-specific care standards as well as with chest pain-specific requirements. Clinical practice guidelines and performance measures also were assessed.

Established in 2002 and awarded for a two-year period, The Joint Commission’s Disease-Specific Care Certification evaluates clinical programs across the continuum of care and addresses three core areas:

• Compliance with consensus-based national standards
• Effective use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines to manage and optimize care
• An organized approach to performance measurement and improvement activities.

“Dominican Hospital has thoroughly demonstrated a high level of care for patients with chest pain,” said Patrick Phelan, executive director, Hospital Business Development, The Joint Commission. “We commend Dominican for becoming a leader in chest pain care.”

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Dignity Health Dominican Hospital has been caring for the Santa Cruz County community for 75 years. Dominican offers emergency services and is a Certified Stroke Center. Dominican’s services include the only comprehensive Cancer Center in Santa Cruz County, a Total Joint Replacement program, advanced neurological and endoscopic services, and an expert heart and vascular team treating some of the most complex cardiac cases in the Monterey Bay area.

Dominican has received national recognition for superior patient safety, cardiac care, and stroke treatment from Healthgrades, a leading provider of comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals. Dominican also has received several awards for environmental excellence.

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To learn more, please visit: www.dignityhealth.org/dominican.