Affiliation expands Care New England's cardiovascular services

Care New England Health System, Providence, R.I., is expanding cardiovascular services at its three facilities, through an agreement with Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston.

The clinical affiliation brings specialists from Brigham and Women's Cardiovascular Associates at Care New England to Kent County Memorial Hospital, Warwick, R.I., and to Butler Hospital and Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, both in Providence. In a local setting, treatment will be available for most cardiac diagnoses, along with testing, clinical evaluation, advanced cardiac-care nursing support and cardiac catheterization.

“Care New England is committed to serving the needs of our community by providing coordinated care across a full spectrum of services and settings,” Care New England President and CEO Dennis Keefe said in a release. “Our goal is to keep patients well, but ensure they have expert and highly specialized care close to home when they need it most.”

Additional offerings include advanced imaging modalities and services for cardiac arrhythmia, advanced valvular heart disease, advanced heart failure and pulmonary hypertension, as well as access to cardiovascular clinical trials, a cardiac telemedicine program and coordination of care at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

“When an advanced procedure is necessary, such as a heart assist device or a complex electrical procedure, patients are referred to BWH and the transition is seamless due to extensive direct communication that will have already occurred, often via telemedicine, between our physicians located at the BWH main campus and our BWH Cardiovascular Associates at Care New England,” Dr. Dale Adler, executive vice president of the department of medicine at BWH, said in the release.

Follow Rachel Landen on Twitter: @MHrlanden