Kaiser forces delay for heart attack patients when every minute counts

Delays in Important Treatment?

Paramedics are supposed to take heart attack patients to the closest, medically appropriate, hospital. But, NBC7 Investigates found this is not always happening.

By Mari Payton

Source: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Delays-in-Important-Treatment-292806231.html#ixzz3SLf12YF6
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Updated at 7:26 AM PST on Friday, Feb 20, 2015

If you're having a heart attack, cardiologists say getting to the right hospital within 90 minutes is key for survival.

“If you are able to open that artery within 90 minutes, the chances of that patient having a good outcome is excellent,” interventional cardiologist Dr. Vimal Nanavati said.

If you're having the most serious kind of heart attack, called an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), where your heart artery is completely blocked, getting to a STEMI receiving center is critical.

“Every minute counts,” said Nanavati.

Thirteen San Diego County hospitals have STEMI receiving centers with catheterization labs that can unclog the blocked arteries in a patient's heart.

Robert Quittner has been a paramedic for over 10 years with San Diego Rural/Metro. He said a contractual agreement between two local hospitals is making him question the profession he loves.

"We became paramedics to take care of people," he said. "We're delaying their care. We're causing more damage to the heart."

Quittner is referring to a 30-year cardiovascular partnership between Kaiser Hospital in Grantville and Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla.

Kaiser Hospital does not have a STEMI receiving center, so its STEMI patients are transported to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla for treatment.

Seven of the county's 13 STEMI receiving centers are closer to Kaiser Hospital than Scripps La Jolla, including Scripps Mercy, Alvarado, Sharp Memorial and UCSD Medical Center. Naval Medical Center is also included in the 13 facilities and has a STEMI receiving center...

Source: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Delays-in-Important-Treatment-292806231.html#ixzz3SLf9id4R
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Scripps and Kaiser Permanente Physicians Among First in United States to Give Irregular Heart Rhythms the Deep Freeze

If you survive Kaiser's cardiologists, and they are nice enough give you a referral to Scripps, you're likely to do very well. Of course, Kaiser doctors are discouraged by their bosses from making referrals.

Scripps and Kaiser Permanente Physicians Among First in United States to Give Irregular Heart Rhythms the Deep Freeze
Scripps.org
July 9, 2012

Innovative cryoablation technology used to treat common atrial fibrillation Physicians from Scripps Health and Kaiser Permanente have teamed up to be the first in San Diego to use a cryoablation system to treat atrial fibrillation, a serious heart rhythm disorder that affects millions of Americans.

Unlike traditional ablation treatments that use radiofrequency, or heat, to destroy faulty electrical circuits in the heart, this newly FDA approved freezing technology allows the catheter to adhere to the tissue during ablation, allowing for greater catheter stability.

Dr. Doug Gibson, Scripps Clinic, and Dr. Brant Liu, Kaiser Permanente, recently led the effort that resulted in the first successful procedure in San Diego at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla using Medtronic’s Arctic Front Cardiac CryoAblation Catheter System. Scripps is the exclusive provider of cardiac surgery, interventional cardiology and electrophysiology to the more than 515,000 Kaiser Permanente members across San Diego County.

“We have found that using cold, rather than heat, may minimize the risk of damaging healthy heart tissue and other structures surrounding the heart,” said Dr. Gibson. “The potential advantages of cryoablation are fewer complications, less radiation exposure, and less discomfort for the patient.”

About Cryoablation

During the minimally invasive procedure, a thin flexible tube with a balloon on the end, called a balloon catheter, is inserted into a vein in the groin and then threaded up to the location of the damaged heart tissue that is triggering an irregular heartbeat. The balloon is filled with liquid coolant that expands with gas and causes it to become very cold. The balloon freezes the nearby heart tissue, which neutralizes the abnormal heart muscle that causes atrial fibrillation. This procedure is an alternative to radiofrequency catheter ablation, which uses heat to burn the tissue that is causing the irregular beat.

To date, Arctic Front has been used to successfully treat more than 10,000 patients in 150 centers outside of the United States.

“Cryoablation gives patients peace of mind that their heart may be restored to an appropriate rhythm and they can resume their normal, daily activity following the treatment,” said Dr. Steven Higgins, director of electrophysiology and chairman of cardiology at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla. “This technology is an extension of Scripps’ leadership in heart care and research as best exemplified by the Prebys Cardiovascular Institute currently under construction.”

The $456 million Prebys Cardiovascular Institute will be a center for innovation that will bring together top researchers, physicians and staff. The Institute will incorporate leading-edge wireless technologies and individualized medicine for the best in patient care when it opens in 2015. Annually, more than 55,000 patients receive their cardiovascular care from Scripps, making it San Diego County’s largest heart care provider. Scripps is the region’s only cardiovascular program consistently recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best in the country. About Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation is the most common and one of the most undertreated heart rhythm disorders in America. Approximately 3 million Americans are estimated to have the disease, and about 40 percent don’t exhibit symptoms and may be under-diagnosed.

Half of all diagnosed atrial fibrillation patients fail drug therapy, and if left untreated patients have up to a five times higher risk of stroke and an increased chance of developing heart failure. Additionally, since atrial fibrillation is often age-related, as the U.S. population continues to grow older, the need for more effective treatment options is escalating.

Scripps, Kaiser Permanente Extend Cardiovascular Partnership Another Decade, Keeping It the Region’s Largest Heart Program

See Kaiser Permanente administrators in San Diego.

Scripps, Kaiser Permanente Extend Cardiovascular Partnership Another Decade, Keeping It the Region’s Largest Heart Program
November 9, 2010
New agreement also includes bariatric surgery and hospital services

La Jolla, Calif. – Scripps Health and Kaiser Permanente announced today the two non-profit health systems have signed a 10-year comprehensive agreement, the longest-term contract in a 30-year partnership that continues a legacy of working together for the good of the community.

Under the agreement, Scripps will be the exclusive provider of cardiac surgery and interventional cardiology (at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla) and bariatric services (at Scripps Mercy San Diego) to the more than 500,000 Kaiser members across San Diego County. Scripps also will provide hospital services to Kaiser Permanente members transferred to a Scripps facility or who are treated in a Scripps emergency department. Scripps is the region’s largest provider of cardiovascular services and the only San Diego provider recognized by U.S. News & World Report as among the best for heart and heart surgery in 2010, a distinction reflective of the exceptional skills of the cardiovascular physicians of Kaiser Permanente and Scripps Health.

“This agreement extends our close working partnership that has been built over the past 30 years around quality, medical management, and patient satisfaction,” said Scripps President and CEO Chris Van Gorder. “In an era of health care reform, collaboration is more important than ever before. Through it, we are able to maintain our standing as the largest cardiovascular program in the region, which allows us to make the best use of our infrastructure and leverage our expertise to best serve the community.”

“Kaiser Permanente and Scripps have worked in partnership for the past three decades to provide premier cardiovascular services to San Diego County,” said Mary Ann Barnes, Senior Vice President & Executive Director for Kaiser Permanente San Diego. “Through this new agreement, we look forward to even greater opportunities to provide innovative, leading edge cardiovascular health care.”

Scripps will break ground next year on a new eight-story, 383,000-square-foot hospital tower on the campus of Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla. The new tower, estimated to cost $398 million, will serve as the hub of the Scripps Cardiovascular Institute, which will combine the cardiovascular programs of Kaiser Permanente, Scripps La Jolla and Scripps Green Hospital.

The institute will feature 108 in-patient beds in private rooms, 60 intensive care beds, 10 state-of-art operating rooms and cardiac catheterization labs with the most advanced medical technology, centralized cardiovascular research labs, and a center for graduate medical education.

Computerized room-level observation stations, a decentralized medication dispensing process and decentralized nurses stations allow caregivers to closely monitor patients and improve communications with family members. Rooms include a variety of amenities for families, including wireless internet access, plasma screen televisions and comfortable pullout couches for overnight stays.

Scripps performs more cardiovascular procedures than any other heart care program in California, last year providing cardiovascular care to more than 45,000 patients. In 2010, Scripps was recognized by Thomson Reuters as one of the Top 10 health systems in the nation for quality care. Scripps has also achieved the gold standard for stroke care with Primary Stroke Center designation. Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego has been designated as a Bariatric Center of Excellence by the American Society for Bariatric Surgery and the Surgical Review Corporation.
About Scripps Health

Founded in 1924 by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps, Scripps Health is a $2.2 billion nonprofit community health system based in San Diego, Calif. Scripps treats a half-million patients annually through the dedication of 2,500 affiliated physicians and 13,000 employees among its five acute-care hospital campuses, home health care services, and an ambulatory care network of physician offices and 22 outpatient centers and clinics.

Scripps is also at the forefront of clinical research, genomic medicine, wireless health and graduate medical education. Scripps has been recognized by Thomson Reuters as one of the Top 10 health systems in the nation for quality care. With three highly respected graduate medical education programs, Scripps is a longstanding member of the Association of American Medical Colleges. More information can be found at www.scripps.org.
About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is America’s leading integrated not-for-profit health plan. Founded in 1945, it is a group practice prepayment program headquartered in Oakland, Calif. Kaiser Permanente began serving San Diego in 1967, and currently provides care for nearly 500,000 members throughout the county. More than 7,400 staff and 3,200 physicians provide quality care at 20 medical facilities conveniently located throughout the county and at San Diego’s Kaiser Foundation Hospital. The hospital has 392 licensed beds and a 78-bed Emergency Department. To learn more, visit the web site at kp.org.

Scripps Media Contact: Janice Collins
Phone: 858-678-7486
E-mail: Collins.Janice@scrippshealth.org

Kaiser Permanente Media Contact: Rodger Dougherty
Phone: 619-528-7783
E-mail: rodger.w.dougherty@kp.org

Scripps Green Hospital, Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, Heart Care, Heart Care (Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla)