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The School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital have opened the Heart Care Institute to make it easier for West County residents to access a full spectrum of nationally recognized heart services in one setting.
The institute, which provides outpatient cardiology services, is located in a new medical office building at 1020 N. Mason Road, just south of Olive Boulevard. Because of the institute, heart disease prevention, detection, rehabilitation and clinical investigation are more accessible than ever, said cardiologist Craig K. Reiss, M.D., associate professor of medicine and medical director of the institute, adding that the institute is supplementing services currently offered at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
Among these services are full-service diagnostic testing; thallium stress testing and diagnostic catheterization; subspecialty consultations for congestive heart failure, hypertension management, coronary artery disease and chest pain; and management of valvular heart disease, arrhythmia and cardiomyopathy.
Cardiac rehabilitation also is offered, including a gym designed exclusively for cardiac patients with telemetry monitoring, an indoor track and treadmills. The institute, which has a strong focus on prevention and wellness, features an auditorium for community lectures, a kitchen for heart-healthy cooking demonstrations and a patient library with on-line resources and customized software.
Jason Gottlieb, executive director, said the institute facilitates a close working relationship with referring physicians and promotes the quick return of patients to referring physicians. "The Heart Care Institute is the first non-hospital site in St. Louis to encompass cardiac wellness, prevention, detection, diagnostics, rehabilitation and clinical investigation under one roof," he said.
The following Washington University cardiologists will be based primarily at the Heart Care Institute: Reiss; Alan N. Weiss, M.D., professor of medicine; Scott M. Nordlicht, M.D., professor of medicine; Keith Mankowitz, M.D., assistant professor of medicine; Charles F. Carey, M.D., assistant professor of medicine; and Mark S. Weinfeld, M.D., assistant professor of medicine. Victor G. Davila-Roman, M.D., associate professor of anesthesiology and of medicine; John M. Lasala, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of medicine; and Ali A. Ehsani, M.D., professor of medicine, also will see patients there.
All the physicians will continue to have offices and see patients at Washington University Medical Center. Patients requiring complex cardiac diagnostic procedures or cardiac surgery will be admitted at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. "The physicians will work with clinical nurse specialists, cardiovascular technicians, exercise physiologists, dietitians and social workers to provide patients with a compassionate team approach to care," Gottlieb said.
