UCMC MIEMSS Cardiac Intervention

The Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS), the State agency responsible for coordinating Maryland's emergency medical services, has announced the designation of Upper Chesapeake Medical Center as one of 23 cardiac interventional centers in the region, effective April 1, 2011.

The designation as a cardiac interventional center signifies that Upper Chesapeake Medical Center has met State standards to receive patients transported by ambulance who are experiencing the most common type of heart attack called an ST-elevation myocardial infarction or STEMI. A STEMI occurs when an artery that supplies blood to the heart is suddenly blocked.

As a result of this designation, EMS providers who have identified an individual with this type of heart attack must transport this individual to the closest designated cardiac interventional center, bypassing non-designated hospitals. "For our community, this means individuals experiencing this top of heart attack can receive the life-saving emergency cardiac angioplasty they need in a state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization lab right here in their community," said Dr. Michael Drossner, Medical Director of the Upper Chesapeake Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center.

When a person is suffering a stroke, Maryland law requires that EMS ambulances bring their patient to the closest designated Primary Stroke Center. Upper Chesapeake Medical Center and Harford Memorial Hospital are among 27 Maryland hospitals to receive designation as a Primary Stroke Center.

This designation is part of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services System (MIEMSS) mission to implement the designation and verification processes for trauma and specialty referral centers, to provide continuing evaluation of these centers for compliance with the regulations and standards, and to ensure ongoing quality monitoring of the State’s trauma/specialty care system.

The Hospital Programs manage and coordinate quality monitoring activities for the trauma/specialty care system. Key components of the ongoing monitoring activities are the trauma registry data analysis, monthly meetings with the Maryland Trauma and Specialty Care Quality Improvement Committee, and case-specific follow-up on consumer complaints.

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