Specialists at Nazareth and St. Mary unite to form cardiology medical group

Those in need of heart care in the communities surrounding Nazareth Hospital and St. Mary Medical Center can now experience a wider breadth of care thanks to the newly formed Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic Medical Group Cardiology.

With locations at 2630 Holme Avenue, Philadelphia, and 1203 Langhorne-Newtown Road, Langhorne, patients can see a broader range of specialists, including both medical and interventional cardiologists, electrophysiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons. They can also experience state-of-the-art technology, such as cardiac MRI at St. Mary—the first of its kind in the area that can diagnose complex heart conditions.

According to Sunil Dhar, MD, medical director of the group, the driving force behind this unification of providers from Nazareth and St. Mary was an enhanced patient experience, giving them quicker access to more providers, in addition to diagnostic and treatment options that weren’t previously available at Nazareth.

“This is a group that now has every aspect of cardiology covered,” says Dr. Dhar. “We have three supremely talented electrophysiologists in our group, two cardiac surgeons who are always available, and a plethora of both invasive and noninvasive cardiologists. So, the people of Bucks County and the Northeast will be covered. They don’t have to figure out where to go if they need specialized care.”

Big plans for the future

Dr. Dhar is excited for Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic Medical Group Cardiology’s inaugural year, which will see the implementation of several programs that will benefit patients. The first, expected to be in place within the next few months, is the formation of a Pulmonary Embolism Response Team, or PERT.

“We, along with interventional radiologists and ICU doctors, will form a team for somebody who has a major pulmonary embolism,” explains Dr. Dhar. “The team will evaluate this patient quickly and get the appropriate therapy, which could be [a rapid response] intervention or procedure to [remove a large clot].”

By the end of the year, Dr. Dhar expects to launch ECMO—extracorporeal membrane oxygenation—capabilities, which would provide life support via a type of artificial heart to patients who are in shock and experiencing extremely depressed heart function. Additionally, the cardiology group is in the process of recruiting patients for a renal denervation program to help them manage uncontrolled hypertension through a minimally invasive, catheter-based procedure.

“We have also formed a structural heart program and structural heart clinic where cardiac surgeons and structural heart interventionists will work together,” says Dr. Dhar. “We’ve also started education about robotic cardiac surgery and already had initial discussions with the Syracuse Center of Excellence to train and hopefully start a program within the next 6-12 months, so that some of these surgeries can be done through a small incision, not a major chest surgery.”

The final program that’s up and running is a clinic for atrial fibrillation, which gives patients easier access to electrophysiologists (specialists who treat arrhythmias).

Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic Medical Group Cardiology has earned accreditations, including for heart failure, and the cardiac catheterization lab and pulmonary rehabilitation programs; with more on the way.

“We’re keeping ourselves on top of this process so that all aspects of cardiology are accredited with the established organizations,” says Dr. Dhar.

The importance of education

As part of its mission to be at the forefront of heart care, Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic Medical Group Cardiology is placing great emphasis on educating the next generation of cardiologists. Recently, the fellowship program—initially offered at Nazareth and now expanding to St. Mary—grew to accept three fellows per year, up from the previous annual acceptance rate of two.

The three-year fellowship program provides hands-on training in specific skillsets, including imaging, patient interactions, decision-making and performing noninvasive testing like echocardiography, CT scans, vascular ultrasounds and EKGs. Fellows also become proficient in invasive procedures such as cardiac catheterization for patients experiencing acute myocardial infarction or heart attack. By the end of the program, fellows are expected to meet all requirements of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. One recent graduate—Abhishek Dutta, MD, is staying on at Nazareth.

“This group is focusing on becoming leaders in education. That’s something I personally have great interest in—producing new cardiologists for the future of this community, the state and the country,” says Dr. Dhar. “That is a huge plus for a community hospital setup, where the care is elbow-to-elbow between the doctors, patients and trainees. That is a strength. We will be on our feet because of young doctors who are training, staying up-to-date with the latest technologies and education so that we can deliver the highest quality care to our patients.”

Learn more about cardiology care at Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic and make an appointment at trinityhealthma.org/cardiovascular.