Health Source HealthSource 05/12 : Page 3
“We look forward to continuing our involvement with the physicians who are now a part of Baptist Heart specialists as we work together to provide the highest quality care to our patients.” — Eddie Sim, President, Physician Integration, Baptist Health vascular care in the region with three fully equipped CV operating rooms, three car-diac catheterization laboratories, two elec-trophysiology laboratories, a state-of-the-art cardiac rehabilitation program and Life Flight emergency air ambulance service. The hospital includes 88 private patient rooms, two intensive care units with 48 beds and the region’s only outpatient Congestive Heart Failure Clinic. The hospi-tal is also home to a new Hybrid Vascular Operating Room at Baptist Heart Hospital. Technologies and capabilities are com-bined so the room is part cardiovascular imaging suite, part peripheral cath lab and part OR. Transfer of patients for multiple diagnostics and treatments is no longer necessary with the Hybrid Vascular OR, enhancing patient safety and outcomes, and making treatment more cost-effective and efficient. Baptist Health has been a long-time partner with these two highly regarded cardiology practices who are known for providing outstanding compassionate and ethical medical care,” says Hugh Greene, president and CEO of Baptist Health. “This new practice will combine our strengths so that we can further enhance quality and improve continuity of care to provide the best possible outcomes for our patients.” Paul Dillahunt, II, M.D., FACC, formerly of the Southern Heart Group and now part of the new Baptist Heart Specialists, explains how Baptist Health and the two cardiology practices have a history of working together to improve heart health that reaches Baptist Health Heart Hospital back several years when they There is a national movement towards phy-joined forces to improve emergency care sicians coming together with hospitals and for heart attack victims. “We established a this is part of what has brought this togeth-hotline and a 24 hour a day/7 day a week er. It makes sense to come together. It is coordinator who would stand ready to the uniting of two groups that have worked coordinate the helicopter transportation with in the same community for 35 years.” with the cath lab team and the cardiolo-Dr. Dillahunt agrees that while the two gists in an effort to restore blood flow to practices have worked separately, they the patient’s heart as quickly as possible have always shared a mutual respect of to limit the potential damage to their heart talent and expertise of the involved physi-muscle. We did this long before it became cians. “When you come to Baptist Heart a national standard to do so,” explains Dr. Specialists you will get an excellent physi-Dillahunt. cian.” He adds “What we love about Baptist Combining the strengths of Baptist Health is that it is locally owned with its Health with these two physician practices responsibility to a local board,” says Dr. furthers their shared goal of improving Dillahunt. “It is a non-profit with no other both the quality and continuity of cardio-agenda than its goal to provide high quality vascular patient care making this a win-care to our patients here. And the fact that win situation for everyone. it is a faith-based mission-driven organiza-Joel Schrank, M.D., FACC, formerly of tion means that it has a reputation for high Jacksonville Heart Center and now part of value of people.” the new Baptist Heart Specialists, recalls Dr. Dillahunt first started as a cardiolo-how the groundwork for this merger gist at Baptist Health in 1978. “I’ve always began two years ago. “That was when considered Baptist my home base because we had our first discussions about how I was attracted to the same high level of medicine might be practiced in the future. standards and values that I grew up with,” We wanted more efficient utilization of he explains. “My dad was a family doctor. I resources and more outpatient medicine, grew up attending church and have always and that became the driving force – a believed that while practicing medicine is desire to add depth important, the value and care of a human and breadth to our being has the highest priority.” abilities to deliver Dr. Schrank is also a longtime name in value and improve Jacksonville. He came here 33 years ago to patient care. help solve some local cardiology issues. “I “There is a syn-performed the first angioplasty in town,” he ergy involved here. recalls. “Back then diagnostic capabilities Hospitals provide were pretty sparse and nuclear medicine a lot of the busi-was just getting started. Echocardiography ness skills that was new, and the first stents came along the heart groups in the late 1990s. What people take for don’t have and the granted now wasn’t available then – it has heart groups are all happened in the last thirty years. We’ve ready to take care been in the golden age of cardiology of of patients in an these last 30 years,” says Dr. Schrank, “but outpatient setting,” this is a huge step for cardiology in the says Dr. Schrank. Jacksonville area. It’s absolutely huge and “It’s the way that it’s just the beginning.” medicine is going. Suzanne Zentko, M.D., Pamela Rama, M.D., Shannon Leu, M.D.
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