Methodist University Hospital is partnering with New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center (NYPH/CUMC) to improve cardiovascular care.

Columbia Heartsource^SM, a cardiovascular clinical and management group services team from the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, will provide its particular expertise and experience to establish the Methodist University Hospital cardiothoracic surgery and cardiology quality assurance program.

“We are excited about partnering with a large academic medical center such as Methodist University Hospital (MUH). This will have a major positive impact on cardiac care in Memphis and the surrounding region that this hospital serves,” said Larry Beilis, Chief Financial Officer for the Department of Surgery and Executive Director of HeartSource^SM, said this is the largest affiliation of this kind in the United States.

CUMC’s cardiovascular divisions, ranked sixth in the nation during 2009 by the U.S. News and World Report America’s Best Hospitals survey, will partner with Methodist University Hospital to make available clinical and quality guidance, access to Columbia clinical research trials, as well as physician training and education in innovative cardiovascular procedures. 

Performing 2,000 adult and pediatric open heart procedures a year, the Cardiac Surgery Section is a leader in the region and among the most recognized in the world. Its surgeons undertake some of the most complex and challenging cases in the nation, such as combined bypass and minimally-invasive valve repair or replacement procedures, mostly in high-risk patients.

“This partnership will allow both Methodist University Hospital and The University of Tennessee Health Science Center to build upon its current cardiovascular program success and take it to new levels,” said Kevin M. Spiegel, FACHE, Chief Executive Officer of Methodist University Hospital.

In keeping with the vision of both Methodist University Hospital and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) to enhance the health of our community by creating a world-class, top 50 Cardiovascular Institute through excellence in clinical care, quality, academics, and innovation, Columbia HeartSource^SM will collaborate with both MUH and UTHSC in support of their common goals of education, research, patient care and community service.

“We are delighted for the opportunity to partner with Methodist University Hospital to build its Cardiac Center of Excellence and to put our achievements in all fields of cardiology to work for Methodist in its quest to become a world-class cardiovascular care center,” said Allan Schwartz, MD, Professor and Chief, Department of Cardiology, Columbia University Medical Center.

“We look forward to joining with Methodist University Hospital and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in its commitment to deliver excellent cardiac interventional and surgical care to the Memphis community,” said Craig R. Smith, MD, Professor and Chief, Cardiothoracic Surgery, CUMC and acting Chairman of Surgery.

“Methodist University Hospital is one of the primary clinical practices and teaching hospitals of UT Health Science Center. Our faculty comprises the physicians of the Transplant Institute and most of the Neuroscience Institute. To build a robust Cardiovascular Institute we looked to the expertise of a group that has already accomplished this. We are proud to be part of Methodist University Hospital’s Columbia HeartSource^SM initiative,” stated Steve J. Schwab, Interim Chancellor and Executive Dean of the College of Medicine for UTHSC.

About Methodist University Hospital
Methodist University Hospital is the largest, most comprehensive hospital in the Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare system. It is a 693-bed facility located in the heart of the Memphis Medical Center. Some features of the hospital include:

• One of the largest Neuroscience Programs in the nation as a tertiary care and referral center; Minimally invasive surgery, featuring the da Vinci® Surgical System
• Major academic campus and primary teaching hospital for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center
• Home to the Transplant Center of Excellence that specializes in solid organ transplants of the kidney, liver and pancreas. 
• Other centers of excellence include Neuroscience, Cancer, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Faith and Health. 
• Methodist University Hospital is a Certified Chest Pain Center, the first in the Mid-South to be certified in AMI, and the first in West Tennessee to be certified as a Primary Stroke Center and a Brain Attack Program.

About Columbia University Medical Center’s HeartSource^SM
The Columbia University Medical Center’s HeartSource^SM represents the services of an academic Ivey League management team that includes nationally renowned cardiac surgeons, clinical staff, business managers and administrators, all from the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center (NYPH/CUMC). We help hospitals to enhance their existing cardiac surgery program or launch one de novo.
Columbia Medical Center’s HeartSource^SM currently holds Management Service Agreement (MSA) contracts with nine hospitals in five states and manages 16 surgeons throughout these facilities. Hospitals contracted with Columbia’s HeartSource^SM automatically hold membership in the Columbia HeartSource^SM Community of hospitals (CHSC). Columbia’s Heartsource ^SM refers to these institutions as "CHSC affiliates," and because their MSAs build inter-institutional research- and education-based relationships, this group is truly a network.

About the University of Tennessee Health Science Center
As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. UTHSC has additional colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy plus an Allied Health Sciences unit in Knoxville, as well as a College of Medicine campus in Chattanooga.