Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell in Pennington, New Jersey recently received formal approval from the New Jersey Department of Health to perform elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)—also known as elective angioplasty—a lifesaving procedure to prevent heart attacks and provide patients relief from symptoms of obstructed arteries without the need for invasive heart surgery. Capital Health now has two licensed cardiac catheterization labs at its Hopewell campus and expanded offerings in its Heart and Vascular Institute. This expansion is the result of a New Jersey law signed by Gov. Phil Murphy in early 2021 that allows all qualifying hospitals to perform non-emergency angioplasty.
As part of the new law, hospitals like Capital Health are required to partner with a cardiac surgery center and develop shared protocols – including transportation of patients, data sharing through electronic medical record (EMR) access, regular consultation between providers, standardized data collections, and the creation of quality committees. Capital Health has partnered with Deborah Heart and Lung Center in Browns Mills, Burlington County, building on a relationship that began in 2019 when Capital Health assumed operation of the satellite emergency department on Deborah’s campus.
“Thanks to the 2021 law that expanded access to elective angioplasty and related interventions, our ability to provide these lifesaving measures makes Capital Health a more comprehensive option for cardiac care than ever before,” said Al Maghazehe, President and CEO of Capital Health. “Our partnership with Deborah is built on our shared commitment to the health of our patients, which will invigorate services that are part of our Heart & Vascular Institute, such as our nationally accredited Chest Pain Center, state-of-the-art operating room for interventional vascular surgery, and a comprehensive cardiology program with some of the area's best general and interventional cardiologists.”
“With Capital Health now performing elective angioplasty, patients receive lifesaving care closer to home,” said Dr. Joshua Eisenberg, director of Capital Health’s Heart & Vascular Institute and Chief Medical Officer of Capital Health Medical Group. “In the past, our patients would have to travel to another health care institution to have the procedure done, but by offering elective angioplasty in house, they receive a streamlined continuum that is more likely to lead to shorter hospital stays and better outcomes.”
“With more than 60 years of performing comprehensive cardiac surgery, Deborah is ready to provide Capital’s physicians with back-up coverage when the need arises,” said Joseph Chirichella, President and CEO of Deborah Heart and Lung Center. “Our cardiovascular team is ready to provide Mercer County residents with comprehensive care, and our already established working relationship with Capital will ensure seamless delivery of emergency cardiac care when needed.”
Partnership around patient access is not new for Capital Health and Deborah. In addition to the satellite emergency department on Deborah’s Browns Mills campus, Capital Health Medical Group, a network of more than 500 primary and specialty care providers, opened primary care and OB/GYN offices at Deborah in 2020, and Capital Health’s neurosciences team also provides tele stroke services for inpatients at Deborah. In turn, Deborah Specialty Physicians, a physician practice comprised of members of Deborah’s Medical Staff, provide complex and advanced heart failure patients with on-site inpatient evaluation and management at Capital Health with offices conveniently located in Lawrenceville and northern Burlington County.
Capital Health is the region’s leader in providing progressive, quality patient care with significant investments in exceptional physicians, nurses and staff, as well as advanced technology. A four-time Magnet®-recognized health system for nursing excellence, Capital Health serves as a Level II regional trauma center, comprehensive stroke center, regional perinatal center (including a Level III NICU), and emergency mental health screening center. Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell in Pennington, New Jersey is home to Capital Health Heart and Vascular Institute, which offers the most up-to-date diagnostic and treatment options to those with heart and vascular disease. The Institute features a state-of-the-art hybrid operating room for interventional vascular surgery, which includes stents and embolization for complex vascular conditions (including abdominal and thoracic aneurysms) that require highly specialized treatment. For more information, visit www.capitalheartandvascular.org.
Deborah Heart and Lung Center is a specialty heart, lung and vascular hospital, licensed to perform all cardiac procedures, including cardiac surgery. Located thirty miles south of Capital Health in Browns Mills, Burlington County, Deborah is a regional and nationally recognized leader in heart care. Deborah is ranked among the top hospitals in New Jersey for patient satisfaction; holds a top-tier Society of Thoracic Surgeons rating placing Deborah among the best cardiac surgery programs in the country; and is designated a national Top Teaching Hospital by The Leapfrog Group. Deborah is an Alliance member of the Cleveland Clinic Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute. To learn more, visit www.DemandDeborah.org.