The Scope E-NewsletterJune 2010 New Dedicated Heart Hospital Enhances Fellowship Programs

The opening of the University of Tennessee Medical Center's Heart Hospital is not only combating Tennessee's number one killer, cardiovascular disease, but it is also bolstering Graduate School of Medicine fellowship programs.

The Heart Hospital is designed to optimize patient outcomes by following evidence-based clinical pathways. The American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association found that dedicated heart hospitals following appropriate clinical guidelines saw improved outcomes in 20 percent of heart surgery cases and improved care processes in 90 percent of cases. This is the type of training Cardiovascular Disease, Pulmonary Disease and Vascular Surgery fellows are being exposed to at the UT Graduate School of Medicine and can carry forward to other institutions in the southeast region and beyond.

Program Directors Dale Wortham, MD, Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship; Tina Dudney, MD, Pulmonary Disease Fellowship; and Michael Freeman, MD, Vascular Surgery Fellowship, agree that the Heart Hospital provides further opportunities for fellows to meet the core competencies as outlined by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, including patient care, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, and systems-based practice.

Dr. Wortham said, "The Heart Hospital cardiovascular critical care units have large individual rooms. Families sleep in these rooms with the patient. This is an excellent educational opportunity for the fellows to learn to interact with patients and families."

The Heart Hospital currently includes 24 private cardiovascular intensive care units equipped with computers and monitoring equipment on a movable track. The units are also connected to existing operating rooms and cardiac catheterization labs.

"The state-of-the-art facilities and technologies available in the Heart Hospital promote a patient-centered, multidisciplinary approach to health care that greatly enhances fellowship education in pulmonary and critical care medicine," Dr. Dudney said.

The facility, which will include an information desk, conference center, and an enlarged UT Graduate School of Medicine Preston Medical Library, is already gaining attention among prospective fellows.

Dr. Freeman said, "I don't think there's any question that an outstanding facility will have an effect on recruitment. Candidates want to work in a pleasant environment, one that is pleasing to the eye, and the Heart Hospital will be impressive to them."

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for the Heart Hospital April 22 with participants including James Neutens, PhD, Dean; John Mack, Jr., MD, Associate Professor, Surgery; Timothy Panella, MD, Associate Professor and Chair, Medicine; Paul Branca, MD, Clinical Associate Professor, Medicine; Dr. Freeman; and D. Russell Huntsinger, MD, Clinical Associate Professor, Medicine.