St. Joseph’s Health Acquires New York Heart Center

Agreement secures greater patient access to the leading cardiovascular care program in the region

Syracuse, NY (March 29, 2018) — St. Joseph’s Health today announced it has reached an agreement to acquire the New York Heart Center, a Syracuse-based cardiology practice that offers comprehensive services for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of a wide variety of heart conditions. Since its establishment in 1983, the board certified cardiologists at the New York Heart Center (NYHC) have worked closely with St. Joseph’s Health and other local hospitals and health systems to create streamlined care for patients at each of its seven locations in Syracuse, Cicero, Oswego, Watertown, Auburn, Gouverneur and Pulaski.

“The New York Heart Center is a key strategic partner of St. Joseph’s Health,” said Dr. Joseph Spinale, Chief Medical Officer at St. Joseph’s Health. “The formal union of both organizations is a decisive and major step in the creation of a sustainable best-in-class cardiology practice given the complexities of the business of health care, alternative Medicare payment models and the uncertainties of reform. Together, we will enhance care in new ways that improve quality and outcomes for heart patients across Central and Northern New York. Indeed, the NYHC was recently cited in a Stanford University study as among the very few US cardiology practice sites that ranked favorably for both high quality outcomes provided at a low cost to the patient.”

St. Joseph’s Health will now include the NYHC’s seven locations and 99 employees, including its 11 cardiologists, as part of the acquisition. There will be no disruption in service and patients should expect the same high level of care they received at the NYHC, now backed by the region’s leader in cardiovascular care at St. Joseph’s Health. Patients will be notified of this transaction via a letter from Dr. Eugene Lozner, President of the New York Heart Center. The NYHC serves more than 40,000 patients a year.

“Our cardiology team is very excited to formalize our strategic partnership with St. Joseph’s Health,” said Dr. Lozner. “Our goal is to continue to team with referring physicians to provide patients with complete care as well as create the best treatment or preventative plans possible to meet their needs. This care philosophy will be greatly enhanced through our integration into St. Joseph’s Health. Aligning with the region’s leader in cardiovascular care gives our patients even greater access to physicians, nurses and cardiac technicians who consistently care for more patients than any other provider in the region.”

The NYHC is one of the most comprehensive cardiology practices in New York State, providing patients with the most sophisticated and technologically advanced diagnostic imaging modalities available to diagnose and treat heart disease. These tools include positron emission computed tomography (PET), single-positron emission computed tomography (SPECT), 64-slice CT imaging and 3-D echocardiography. The NYHC has all of these diagnostic tools at one location, at its main office, in Syracuse. Furthermore, all of the NYHC’s imaging labs are fully accredited by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission and all of their various imaging technologists are registered, thereby insuring that the NYHC meets the highest quality and performance standards in the country while providing its patients the best possible attention and care.

In addition to the unique advanced diagnostic imaging capabilities of the practice, the Board Certified cardiologists of the NYHC provide their patients with other medical services when required. These include both coronary artery and peripheral vascular interventions; electrophysiology, including pace-maker and other cardiac devices; cardiac rehab for those patients who have undergone angioplasty or cardiac by-pass surgery; EECP; and 24-hour lab work.

“The New York Heart Center’s mission to deliver efficient, high quality patient care services and advance the health of our community is a perfect fit with the mission of St. Joseph’s Health and Trinity Health,” said Leslie Paul Luke, President and CEO of St. Joseph’s Health. “Building this esteemed group of cardiologists into our continuum of care further expands the most advanced healthcare network in the region and strengthens our award-winning cardiovascular program.”

St. Joseph’s Health has the most awarded cardiovascular care program in the region – with nearly a dozen different accreditations, certifications, and recognitions for cardiovascular care. It has also been the first to bring several new cardiovascular procedures to Central New York, beginning with the first open heart surgery in Central New York in 1958. Currently, St. Joseph’s Health Hospital is the only hospital in the area in which transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is performed, a new and advanced heart valve replacement procedure. Dr. Ziad El-Khally, one of the top cardiologists in the state, and the only one in Central New York, with a risk-adjusted mortality rate for angioplasty significantly lower than the state average, performs this procedure with several other St. Joseph’s Health interventionists.

The Cardiovascular Care program at St. Joseph’s Health is one of only three programs in the United States that received three stars from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) in all five procedure categories: Coronary Artery Bypass, Aortic Valve Replacement, Aortic Valve Replacement and Coronary Artery Bypass, Mitral Valve Replacement, Mitral Valve Replacement and Coronary Artery Bypass.

St. Joseph’s Health Hospital was also named one of the nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals by IBM Watson Health in the recently released 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals 2018 study. The annual study, conducted by Truven Health Analytics, now part of IBM Watson Health, identifies the top U.S. hospitals for inpatient cardiovascular services. This study is part of the Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals program.

St. Joseph’s Health Hospital has been a recipient of the Healthgrades Cardiac Surgery Excellence Award for five years in a row (2014-2018) and named among the top 10% in the nation for Cardiac Surgery for five years in a row (2014-2018).

About St. Joseph’s Health

St. Joseph’s Health is a non-profit regional health care system based in Syracuse, N.Y., providing services to patients throughout Central New York and northern Pennsylvania. From primary to specialty to home care, to our Magnet-recognized hospital, and in collaboration with our community partners, St. Joseph's Health is advancing the health of the communities we serve through an expanding range of healthcare services to ensure our patients achieve optimum long-term health. Ranked by Consumer Reports among the top 15 heart surgery centers in the country, U.S. News “Best Regional Hospital” and a 15-time winner of the National Research Corporation Consumer Choice award, St. Joseph’s is widely recognized for quality, value and delivering the highest patient satisfaction. St. Joseph’s Health is affiliated with Franciscan Companiesand St. Joseph’s Physicians and is a member of Trinity Health.