ATLANTA, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ — The Atlanta Cardiology Group (ACG) has signed an agreement formalizing an affiliation with Piedmont Healthcare as part of the Piedmont Heart Institute, effective November 15. The 25-member cardiovascular physician practice will become a new group practice under the Piedmont Heart Institute and open a new main office on the Piedmont Hospital campus in December, while maintaining offices across Georgia. With the addition of ACG, more than 80 cardiovascular physicians will be available at Piedmont.
“This is an exciting time for Piedmont. Our affiliation with ACG will enable us to more effectively provide our quality services to patients in the many communities we serve,” said Michele M. Molden, CEO of the Piedmont Heart Institute. “ACG will complement the existing cardiovascular expertise at Piedmont, a tradition that started over 50 years ago. We are proud that they’ve chosen Piedmont for their home.”
The Piedmont Heart Institute (PHI) is the first of its kind affiliated with a community hospital system in greater Atlanta. It will bring prominent cardiovascular physician groups together with one of the premier cardiac centers in the region. The Institute’s express purpose is to provide a new and innovative model to facilitate and enhance the quality of cardiovascular care for the community.
William S. Knapp, M.D., managing partner of ACG, said, “This is an excellent affiliation for us. Since ACG’s beginning 40 years ago, we have added physicians and expanded to new communities to deliver the best quality care. The relationship with Piedmont continues this legacy.” ACG has 15 offices in greater Atlanta and surrounding communities, from north Atlanta to Greensboro to Hiawassee and Douglasville.
Knapp also said that ACG physicians are particularly eager about the opportunity to become part of the Piedmont Heart Institute, which was launched in October, creating a platform through which physicians can provide enhanced care and services for their patients.
Since the mid-1960’s, Piedmont Hospital has continued to earn recognition as a leader in the prevention and treatment of heart disease. Piedmont was one of Georgia’s first hospitals to establish a dedicated coronary care unit (CCU), the first to hire a full-time director of a community CCU, and one of the first in the country to use telemetry monitors throughout the hospital. Piedmont has successfully developed cardiac catheterization, interventional cardiology, comprehensive electrophysiology and arrhythmia services, advanced heart failure management, open-heart surgery, and peripheral vascular services. This expertise culminated in 1994 with the centralization of services at the Fuqua Heart Center of Atlanta at Piedmont Hospital.
About The Atlanta Cardiology Group
The Atlanta Cardiology Group (ACG) is a member of Piedmont Cardiovascular Physicians and the Piedmont Heart Institute. With 25 physicians practicing at over a dozen locations throughout Atlanta and the surrounding areas, ACG has set standards of excellence in cardiovascular care since its inception in 1967. Through its expert team of physicians, with specialized training in specific cardiovascular conditions, the goal of ACG is to provide patients will the full spectrum of cardiovascular care.
About Piedmont Healthcare
Piedmont Healthcare, a not-for-profit organization, is the parent company of Piedmont Hospital, a 458-bed acute tertiary care facility in the north Atlanta community of Buckhead, offering all major medical, surgical and diagnostic services, a recipient of the 2006 and 2007 Distinguished Hospital Award for Patient Safety(TM) according to HealthGrades (a leading healthcare ratings company) and one of the nation’s Most Wired for four consecutive years in the 100 Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study; Piedmont Fayette Hospital, a 143-bed acute care community hospital in Fayetteville, named one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals(R) for the fourth year in a row and one of the nation’s Most Wired hospitals; Piedmont Mountainside Hospital, a 42-bed community hospital in Jasper and named the 2006 Hospital of the Year by the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals; Piedmont Newnan Hospital, a 143-bed acute-care community hospital in Newnan; the Piedmont Heart Institute, established in 2007 to enhance the practice of cardiology across Georgia; the Piedmont Hospital Foundation; the Piedmont Physicians Group, with more than 75 primary care physicians in 23 offices throughout metro Atlanta; and the Piedmont Clinic, a 527-member physician network. For more information, visit http://www.piedmont.org/ .
About Piedmont Hospital’s Fuqua Heart Center of Atlanta
The 162-bed Fuqua Heart Center includes more than 100 physicians and 550 support staff. The Center offers a full spectrum of integrated cardiovascular care – from initial testing to post-surgery recovery, including nationally accredited programs in cardiac rehabilitation, echocardiology, peripheral vascular and congestive heart failure. Services include cardiothoracic surgery, interventional cardiology, and endovascular, arrhythmia management, advanced heart failure management, genetic and metabolic preventive therapy and cardiac MR/CT imaging. The Center’s mission is to provide the highest quality patient care while becoming a national leader in the use of innovative, cost-effective, preventive and curative surgical, interventional and medical management for patients with cardiovascular disease.
Piedmont Hospital
CONTACT: Nina Montanaro for Piedmont Hospital, +1-404-695-3372
Web site: http://www.piedmont.org/
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