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Heart Center:
Making Life Better
The Heart Center is Salt Lake City's largest cardiology group, covering multiple hospitals across the valley. Our cardiologists are:
Michael Adjei-Poku, Ronald Brown, Thomas Edwards, Ed Ganellen, Paul Gilmore, Scott Hacking, Charles Haws, Bill Mackie, Kenneth
(Kris) Nielson, Kelly (Trey) O'Neal, Rex Outtrim, Jerry Polukoff, Steven Rokeach, Pawan Sharma, Sally Sharp, and James
Zebrack (see physician page).
We are pleased that you and your primary physician have chosen us to provide your care.
We are working hard to provide you with the most advanced treatment options, the highest quality diagnostic testing,
and the most personalized care. Cardiologists help diagnose and treat disorders of the heart and vascular system,
including evaluation of chest pain, shortness of breath, edema, lightheadedness, passing out, slow or fast heart rates, cardiac
risk and pre-operative assessment. Common diseases managed by cardiologists include hypertension, high cholesterol,
coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation and other heart arrhythmias, and heart failure/cardiomyopathy. Common
evaluations include history and physicals, laboratory testing, treadmill stress testing, echocardiography, nuclear medicine
testing, holter monitors, and event monitors. Common cardiology procedures include angiogram, angioplasty, stenting,
pacemakers, ablations, transesophageal echo, and cardioversions. Surgeries such as coronary bypass, valve replacement,
and aneurysm repair are done by cardiothoracic surgeons, but patients typically are followed by a cardiologist as well.
Beginning in 1990, the Heart Center joined cardiologists
and cardiothoracic surgeons to create an integrated cardiac center focused on quality care and personalized service.
We have continued to expand our services and add new cardiologists each year. While our cardiothoracic surgeons
have relocated their office and staff next door, they continue to work closely with the cardiologists in a team approach.
We provide hospital care at almost all of Salt Lake City's hospitals, including St. Marks and Intermountain
Medical Hospitals, which have won national awards for excellence in cardiovascular care.
Our mission is to provide the best quality care and service, which has gained
us a reputation as a premier cardiology group. Some of the benefits available at the Heart Center include:
- All new patients are evaluated first by
a board-certified cardiologist, rather than a physician assistant. Appointments are usually available within 1-2
days.
- Urgent care appointments are available daily with one of our physician assistants, or with your
own cardiologist within about a week.
- A full range of cardiovascular services are available.
- Offices are located throughout the valley for travel convenience.
- Our physicians
provide coverage for nearly all of the hospitals in the city, allowing for continuity of care regardless of which hospital
you choose or are are directed to by your insurance company. We are an integral part of the best hospitals in Utah.
- Electronic
medical records allow us fast access to your records 24 hours a day. The physician on call may review your history from
home after hours, providing feedback to the emergency room physician or helping to answer your questions.
- Your medical records may be stored electronically on a mini
CD to carry with you in your wallet when traveling out of state. If you are ever seen in more than one hospital, your
health care provider can have immediate access your medications and medical records.
- Our nuclear and echo departments are among the highest
volume outpatient labs in the state. Our digital reporting system allows improved quality and speed. Most of our
reading physicians have obtained subspecialty board certifications in nuclear and echo to provide the highest quality
interpretations.
- Our outpatient cath lab allows for convenient, on-time scheduling without interruption from urgent hospital
patients.
- Our experienced nurses
are available by phone to answer your questions, and they will put you in contact directly with your physician if needed.
- Patient education is available through direct consultation,
phone discussion with our nurses, educational handouts in clinic, and on our website.
- Survey comments include:
"I love the office staff." "The attentiveness
of the staff and doctors are excellent." "I have been all over the city. The care and service are wonderful here. I wouldn't
go anywhere else." "If I needed another heart surgery and I still lived in Mississippi, I would come back to the
Heart Center. I received the best care of my life, and I wouldn't go anywhere else." Gerald. "I have seen several cardiologists before, and everyone told me nothing
was wrong. I knew something wasn't right, and you found it out from the moment I walked in here. It is worth the
extra 90-mile drive to come to where the best doctors are." Judy.
Our outpatient cardiac cath lab, the only one of its kind in the city, offers spectacular views of the Wasatch mountains and expert service. "I have
had 8 previous angiograms in town, and the Heart Center cath lab is definitely the best. The staff and service were excellent"
John.
Instructions for patients on:
Contacting your Doctor: Our
doctors have schedules that allow them to be in the office for one week and in the hospital the next week. Each doctor has
a receptionist that helps schedule his appointments and a nurse to take care of his calls whether he is in the office or in
the hospital. The best way to contact him or ask questions is to call his nurse. All the nurses have voice messaging capability so we do not miss any incoming calls if you leave a message. All calls are
answered by the end of the day, so please do not leave multiple messages as we check them on a regular basis and handle them
as soon as we can. Some physicians will respond to e-mail.
Prescriptions: If
you need prescriptions renewed or refilled, please contact your pharmacy and they will let us know what you need. Please
give us at least 24-48 hours to get back to the pharmacy. If you need a written prescription for a mail-in pharmacy,
please call and leave the information we need on the nurse’s voice mail; we will either mail one to you or call,
if you would prefer to pick it up when ready. Please give us some advance warning, since our doctors are not always
in the clinic to sign prescriptions on the day they are requested.
Medical Emergencies:
- To ensure that you receive the best possible care, if you think you are having a stroke or a heart
attack, please do not come to the office or call us and leave a message. Please go to the nearest Emergency Room for
immediate evaluation. The Emergency Room will notify our doctors and they will be there to help take care of you.
Billing
and Insurance: No matter which office or hospital you are seen at, our billing office is centralized
at one location. For questions, please call: (801) 284-4515 or our toll free # (800) 343-2782 and ask for the billing department.
Our staff will be glad to help you and answer any of your questions.
- Please check
with your insurance carrier to make sure our doctors are covered under your plan. We take virtually all insurance plans
including Altius, Blue Cross, Humana, United Health Care, PEHP, IHC plans, Select Health, Medicaid, Medicare, and Molina. Some
physicians may not be on all heath care plans, but our receptionists will ensure you see someone covered
by your health plan.
Scheduling an Appointment: - We
have several offices with a full time receptionist who can schedule your appointment needs. Our smaller offices
accept appointments through any Heart Center number.
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