Franciscan Health Crown Point emergency department accredited by the American College of Emergency Physicians

CROWN POINT, Indiana – Franciscan Health Crown Point’s emergency department is the first in Indiana and only one of 13 in the nation to receive the American College of Emergency Physician’s Pain and Addiction Care in the Emergency Department (PACED) Gold Level accreditation.

PACED is an ACEP-governed national accreditation program which seeks to improve pain management for patients in the emergency department. It recognizes the need for prompt, safe and effective pain management and treatment for patients in pain and/or addicted to pain medication.

A Gold Level PACED accreditation is the highest possible. Led by a collaborative multidisciplinary team within the hospital and community, Gold Level PACED accreditation recognizes emergency departments with a comprehensive program to provide optimal care for patients suffering from pain and/or addiction through advanced management-specific treatment, protocols, training and resources.

“We are honored and privileged to receive this accreditation as it took a lot of hard work and collaboration with our multidisciplinary team in order to achieve,” said Franciscan Health Crown Point Nursing Director of Critical Care Services Erin DiMichele, MBA-HCA, BSN, RN. “This accreditation provides a mechanism to ensure we are maintaining high quality care and incorporating innovations to the standard of care for our patients.”

Among the application requirements were sharing policies and procedures impacting pain and addiction care, accountability for the amount of opioid pain medications given to patients, how the department utilizes other methods for treating pain and the ability to treat addiction.

“Franciscan Health Crown Point has had a team dedicated to patients with addiction presenting to the hospital for several years,” said Jennifer Homan, manager of trauma services for Franciscan Health Crown Point. “After winning the Peregrine Innovation trauma award in 2022, other healthcare providers became inspired to help reduce the effects of addiction in our community. The PACED model allows us to focus on meeting the needs of our patients in a true patient-centered care model that allows us to work as a team with the patient.”

The accreditation will remain in place for three years.