Chest pain centers

Conceptually, the Chest Pain Center model is nothing more than a system of delivering health care. It is a model that all hospitals can embrace as a framework for organizational decision making in meeting the heart-care needs of their communities. It also provides a framework for clinical decision making. By adopting some or all of the common features of the model, hospitals develop a common language, similar to what took place when CCUs first opened in the 1960s. Application of evidence-based clinical practice is promoted. Approaches that account for both clinical outcomes and financial outcomes will be further refined. One result will be simultaneous improvement in clinical outcomes and a decrease in costs, but the most important aspect of the Chest Pain Center model is that it puts the patient first.