Exceptional Experiences at Community Health Network

Community Health Network, The Indiana Heart Hospital and cardiovascular physician practices are uniting services, creating a new structure to deliver an integrated model for heart and vascular care in central Indiana.  Beginning January 1st, these integrated services will be called Community Heart and Vascular to reflect the comprehensive cardiovascular services offered, including hospital, ambulatory and physician sites of care.

“We strongly believe that integrating hospital and physician care more closely will benefit patients,” says Tom Malasto, current CEO of The Indiana Heart Hospital and CEO of Community Heart and Vascular. “These new integrated relationships set the highest standards for heart and vascular care and will allow us to meet a growing demand for cardiovascular services in the area.”

The integrated model will unite cardiology, vascular and cardiothoracic physician practices with The Indiana Heart Hospital, part of Community Health Network, to form one cohesive entity.

Community Heart and Vascular will consist of the existing specialty heart hospital (The Indiana Heart Hospital); cardiovascular services at four acute care Community Hospitals (Community Hospitals East, North, South and Anderson); and 31 physicians (cardiologists, vascular and cardiothoracic surgeons) from five physicians groups, totaling over 600 combined employees.  The physician groups include:  Cardiothoracic Surgeons of Indiana; Indiana Heart Associates; Jetty Heart Clinic; Vascular Physicians of Indiana; Russell Dilley, M.D.; and Dennis Jacob, M.D.

“Community Heart and Vascular is unique in that all aspects of the program are co-managed with physicians,” says Ramu Yeleti, M.D., president of Community Heart and Vascular.  “Patients will benefit from having access to a full continuum of integrated cardiovascular services.”

Advantages of integration include the development of innovative clinical care programming; the ability to better harmonize and leverage related clinical services, such as primary care, emergency departments and intensive care services; the expansion of clinical research and teaching opportunities; a paradigm shift to the longitudinal care of the patient; alignment of economic and operating efficiencies; and the ability to effectively apply physicians’ time and talents to program development, leadership and management at full program levels.

“Combining forces will have a very positive impact in the care of heart and vascular patients across the network,” says Bill Corley, president and CEO of Community Health Network.  “This affiliation with the specialists we have worked with for several years will integrate the top-quality care and services of The Indiana Heart Hospital and physician practices with the other services of Community Health Network.  This is the most desired and cost-effective way to deliver the best care for our patients.”

All physician practices will continue to care for patients at the same office locations.  The Indiana Heart Hospital will continue to provide care at its current locations, and on the campuses of Community Hospital East, North and South in Indianapolis.

Opened as the nation’s first all-digital heart hospital, the programs and services of The Indiana Heart Hospital have been nationally recognized for clinical quality measures.  Recently, Thomson Reuters Healthcare rated the hospital as one of the nation’s top 100 cardiovascular hospitals for the third consecutive year.  The integration of cardiovascular services will reinforce the exceptional quality of programs network-wide.