Rhode Island Hospital has become the first facility in the state to be accredited by the Society of Chest Pain Centers, which recognizes hospitals that meet specific quality criteria in caring for patients with acute cardiac problems. Only two other hospitals in New England have received this recognition, both in Connecticut.

The criteria involve:

“The accreditation is a marker of achievement for the whole institution’s ability to provide high-quality care for our acute chest pain patients,” said Dr. Anthony Napoli, director of the hospital’s Chest Pain Center. He noted that patients are initially assessed in the emergency department, and high-risk patients who are or may be having heart attacks get immediate treatment, while low-risk patients are cared for in the Chest Pain Unit.

Heart attacks are the leading cause of death in the United States, with 600,000 fatalities per year and more than 5 million patients visiting hospitals with chest pain. The goal of the Society of Chest Pain Centers 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 it takes to receive treatment, and improve the treatment itself.

Rhode Island Hospital, a member of the Lifespan health system, is the largest teaching hospital of the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, a major trauma center for southeastern New England, and a research facility with nearly $50 million each year in external research funding. It is also home to Hasbro Children’s Hospital, the state’s only facility dedicated to pediatric care. For more information, visit www.rhodeislandhospital.org.