Advancing the Future of Cardiovascular Care Across Our Enterprise

By Keith Bricking, MD, chief clinical officer, Premier Health

Cardiovascular disease remains one of the leading health challenges facing our communities, and the need for coordinated, high-quality heart and vascular care continue to grow. Across Premier Health, our Heart & Vascular Institute is responding through strategic growth, expanded clinical capabilities, physician recruitment, advanced technology, and a commitment to delivering care through a more integrated One Premier Health approach.

The Heart & Vascular Institute cares for more than 80,000 patients annually across inpatient, outpatient, diagnostic, and procedural services. Over the past year, inpatient volumes have increased by 3%, while clinic visits have grown by 6%. This growth reflects both the increasing cardiovascular needs of our region and the confidence patients and referring providers place in Premier Health's physicians, providers, and caregivers.

As an academic health system, Premier Health is uniquely positioned to combine clinical excellence with education, research, and innovation. This approach allows us to continuously strengthen cardiovascular care while preparing for the future needs of our patients and communities.

As part of its commitment to advancing cardiovascular care, the Institute continues to broaden its specialized services and physician expertise while evaluating opportunities to further develop its robotic cardiothoracic surgery program. The addition of new cardiovascular imaging expertise has enhanced capabilities in cardiovascular computed tomography, echocardiography, heart failure care, and advanced diagnostic services.

As cardiovascular care becomes increasingly complex, collaboration among cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, electrophysiologists, vascular specialists, heart failure physicians, and imaging experts is more important than ever. By bringing those specialties together, Premier Health is creating a stronger and more coordinated experience for patients across the continuum of care.

The Institute is also focused on continuously improving access and operational efficiency. Through collaborative rounding efforts, physicians and caregivers are identifying opportunities to improve catheterization laboratory access, expand clinic capacity, and strengthen care coordination. In addition, an active advisory committee is helping evaluate clinical operations, physician coverage, and future care delivery models to support continued growth and patient access.

As we look ahead, our priorities include expanding Structural Heart and Advanced Heart Failure programs, increasing participation in clinical research, recruiting additional specialists, advancing technology and procedural capabilities, and exploring opportunities to further strengthen cardiovascular education and training as part of Premier Health's academic health system mission.

Most importantly, our progress is rooted in teamwork. The continued success of the Heart & Vascular Institute depends on our ability to work together across disciplines, locations, and care settings to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care.

By aligning expertise, embracing innovation, and advancing a shared vision, we are strengthening cardiovascular care today while building the foundation for the future.

Did You Know? Heart & Vascular Institute Clinical Snapshot

• Premier Health teams perform more than 500 open-heart surgeries, 3,000 electrophysiology procedures, 1,000 vascular procedures, and 800 structural heart procedures each year.
• Approximately 200 transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures are performed annually across the system.
• Multiple Premier Health cardiothoracic surgery programs have earned three-star ratings from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, recognizing excellence in quality and patient outcomes.
• Advanced cardiovascular services include cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), cardiovascular CT imaging, CardioMEMS remote monitoring, minimally invasive mitral valve surgery, and pulsed field ablation.
• The Heart & Vascular Institute is actively recruiting additional subspecialists to expand patient access and strengthen clinical expertise.
• Clinical trials provide opportunities for eligible patients to access emerging therapies while supporting the advancement of cardiovascular medicine.
• Multidisciplinary care teams bring together expertise from cardiology, cardiac surgery, electrophysiology, vascular medicine, heart failure, and advanced imaging.
• Ongoing evaluation of care delivery models helps improve patient access, clinical coordination, and operational efficiency across Premier Health.

As demand for cardiovascular services continues to grow, the Heart & Vascular Institute remains focused on expanding access, advancing clinical excellence, fostering innovation, and strengthening collaboration across our enterprise. Through these efforts, we are building a more integrated cardiovascular program and improving health outcomes for the communities we serve.

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