Cardiac Surgery Program Celebrates First Anniversary

	Members of the cardiac surgery team. Standing, left to right: Chris Kelly, RN, CVOR, Thomas G. Carr, MD, Cardiac Surgeon, Gary Jancyzski, Scrub Technician, Cornell Lighty, Anesthesia Technician, Larry Thiesen, MD, Chief of Cardiothoracic Anesthesia, and James Coughlin, CCT (Perfusionist). Seated, left to right: Judy Baulier, CVOR Resource RN, Laura Bloom, Nurse Liaison, and Patricia Frett, CVOR, Scrub Technician.

“The program has exceeded our expectations — and those of our community,” said Ronald B. Goodspeed, MD, MPH, President of Southcoast Hospitals Group.

The program, which is based at Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, performed its first procedure on April 18, 2002. After a successful six-month evaluation by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the open heart surgery program moved into its second phase by receiving approval to perform elective coronary angioplasty.

Paul Hatton, MD, Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Southcoast, credits the success of the program with the availability of advanced cardiac services in all areas related to the heart and a unified team approach to patient care.

“Working as a team has enabled us to develop a strong cardiac surgery program that provides our patients with access to the kind of comprehensive services usually seen in teaching hospitals right here in a community hospital setting,” Dr. Hatton said.

In October 2002, Southcoast Hospital Group’s cardiac surgery program completed a successful and deficiency-free survey by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.

In addition, Southcoast has been participating in a national cardiac surgery quality database with other open heart hospitals. Southcoast has achieved results that are equal to or better than the performance of hospitals performing this surgery nationally and at the state level.

And the quality of the Southcoast program seems to be evident to patients.

“Our patient survey covers all aspects of the care from the admission process to how clear and precise information was presented by their doctors and nurses,” said Marcia Liggin, RN, MBA, Vice President of Patient Services at Charlton. “Our patients are consistently reporting a high level of confidence and trust in the doctors and nurses who have treated them and the clarity of the information they are receiving about their care and treatment.”

For more information on Southcoast’s cardiac surgery program, log on to www.southcoast.org/heart/.

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