Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) Gainesville was reaccredited as a Level 1 ECCC, while NGMC Braselton was reaccredited as Level 2. NGMC Barrow and NGMC Lumpkin were reaccredited as Level 3 and NGMC Habersham has begun the process of ECCC accreditation.
Hospitals seeking ECCC accreditation undergo a thorough evaluation process, including a site inspection and an assessment of emergency cardiac care processes and equipment, according to a news release from the Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS). Once these steps are complete, the Georgia Department of Public Health uses a three-level designation system to rank the capabilities of each facility:
· Level 1 hospitals perform open heart surgery and interventional cardiac catheterizations.
· Level 2 hospitals perform interventional cardiac catheterizations.
· Level 3 hospitals stabilize patients until they are transported to a Level 1 or Level 2 center.
In 2020, NGHS made history by becoming the first health system in the state with hospitals receiving the ECCC designation.