Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center has earned national accreditation as a Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI from the American College of Cardiology (ACC), according to a Woodlands Online report published Thursday, Sept. 17.

The credential means the hospital has a cardiac catheterization team available around the clock to perform emergency angioplasty and stenting on patients experiencing heart attacks. The ACC accreditation is the second national recognition for the hospital in less than two weeks.

What it means for patients

During a heart attack, minutes matter. The ACC and American Heart Association (AHA) use a benchmark called "door-to-balloon time," the interval from a patient's arrival at the emergency department to the moment a balloon opens the blocked artery. ACC and AHA guidelines recommend that interval stay under 90 minutes for at least 90% of eligible patients.

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a non-surgical procedure. A catheter-mounted balloon opens a narrowed or blocked coronary artery, and a spring-like device called a stent holds it open afterward.

To earn the accreditation, Memorial Hermann The Woodlands passed evaluations of its staff, protocols, equipment and patient pathways from EMS arrival through discharge. The hospital also met performance benchmarks on door-to-balloon time.

The ACC requires accredited hospitals to complete a gap analysis, examine variances of care, develop an action plan, pass an onsite review and demonstrate sustained success, according to a description of the accreditation process. Accredited facilities must also maintain formal agreements with referring hospitals that send heart attack patients for emergency PCI.

Second honor in nine days

On Sept. 8, the hospital's emergency department received the 2026 Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) Lantern Award, which recognized 126 emergency departments nationwide for leadership, innovation and evidence-based care improvements.

Denise Martin, RN, the hospital's trauma program director and emergency services director, said when the Lantern Award was announced Sept. 8 that the recognition "reflects the dedication, teamwork and commitment to clinical excellence demonstrated by our Emergency Department every day."

Justin Kendrick serves as CEO of Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center. The ACC accreditation covers both the Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute team and the Emergency Care team, the same department recognized with the Lantern Award nine days earlier.