Stevens Hospital wants stronger heart unit
Published 10:55 pm Sunday, March 15, 2009
EDMONDS — Stevens Hospital wants to expand the type of cardiac services it provides so that more patients can get stents to help open clogged arteries and prevent heart attacks.
A request has been filed with the state Department of Health to add the service for nonemergency patients, those at risk of a heart attack but not being immediately treated for one.
“We view this as a significant step for the hospital,” said spokesman Jack Kirkman. “It’s a big deal for us.”
If its request is approved by the state, Stevens would be the second hospital in Snohomish County to offer the services.
The three closest hospitals now offering these nonemergency procedures as part of their overall heart program are Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, and two Seattle hospitals, Northwest and Swedish Medical Center.
The public will be allowed to comment on Stevens’ request this summer, said Steve Saxe, a director at the state health agency. A decision is expected in the fall.
Stevens for more than a decade has been offering similar services to heart attack patients brought to the emergency room, conducting up to 115 of the procedures each year, said Dr. Ralph Althouse, a Stevens Hospital cardiologist.
Steven’s heart program is run in collaboration with Swedish Heart and Vascular Institute, part of Swedish Medical Center.
Patients could begin getting the new cardiac services at the hospital as soon as this fall. The cost of equipment for the new program is estimated at nearly $145,000, according to hospital documents filed with the state.
By 2011, Stevens estimates that about 120 nonemergency patients could get a cardiac stent or undergo similar heart procedures.
Three-quarters of the emergency heart patients Stevens now treats for coronary artery disease are from Edmonds and Lynnwood.
Approval of the hospital’s request would mean that people living in south Snohomish County can get “treatment close to home,” Kirkman said. “These are cutting-edge procedures.”
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486, salyer@heraldnet.com.
