Oklahoma Heart Hospital South Campus Celebrates First Anniversary
New Hospital Experiences Successful Opening Year After Historic Race with National Healthcare Reform Vote
OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma Heart Hospital South Campus is celebrating its first year in operation, a year that began in a race with the historic national healthcare reform bill. The bill limited construction on facilities owned by physicians, threatening the opening of the new hospital built by a consortium of Oklahoma hospitals and owned, in part, by a team of cardiovascular specialists.
Oklahoma Heart Hospital South Campus began serving patients on January 18, 2010; received Medicare Certification to treat state-funded Medicaid patients on March 10, 2010; and the healthcare reform bill was signed into law March 23, 2010.
“We have assembled one of the finest teams of cardiovascular specialists in the region drawing talent from such prestigious institutions as the Mayo Clinic,” noted Dr. John Harvey, M.D./Oklahoma Heart Hospital President and CEO. “We have added a workforce of 400 physicians, nurses, and techs all specializing in the care of hearts.”
The $98-million, all-digital, state-of-the-art. 163,000 square-foot facility has 30 general cardiovascular rooms, 15 day patient beds, 16 ICU beds, three operating rooms and three catheterization procedure rooms. The 10-bed emergency department takes all emergencies and is staffed 24/7 with a full-time physician and nursing team.
“Our first year has been very successful with patient activity rivaling well-established programs with over 4,500 heart catheterization procedures, 674 surgeries and 4,500 ER visits,” said John Austin, Chief Operating Officer/Oklahoma Heart Hospital South Campus. “We’ve added 12 new cardiologists to our team of doctors and have opened a new Interventional Pain Management division to offer our patients a dynamic multi-disciplinary concept of care that redefines the boundaries of specialty care, with the patient at the center.”
The South Campus facility was built by a consortium of hospitals including Oklahoma Heart Hospital North, Mercy Health Center, Midwest Regional Medical Center and Norman Regional Health System. Oklahoma Heart Hospital North opened in 2002 as the nation’s first all-digital hospital dedicated to the care of hearts. The successful model of heart care delivery developed at the Oklahoma Heart Hospital North Campus was the inspiration to build a similar hospital in underserved south Oklahoma City.
About Oklahoma Heart Hospital:
Oklahoma Heart Hospital opened in August 2002 as the first all-digital hospital in America totally dedicated to the care of hearts. Cardiologists from Oklahoma Cardiovascular Associates partnered with Mercy Health Center to make the hospital a reality. In 2006, demand for cardiovascular services in the region prompted a $35 million expansion at the hospital.
In 2010, Oklahoma Heart Hospital South Campus opened its doors as an all-digital hospital specializing in the care of hearts. The South Campus partnered with Oklahoma Heart Hospital, Mercy Health Center, Norman Regional Health System and Midwest Regional System to bring cardiovascular services to south Oklahoma City and eastern Oklahoma County.
Oklahoma Heart Hospital – Serving the State, Leading the Nation.
