CARDIOLOGY OF GEORGIA IN FAYETTEVILLE JOINS PIEDMONT HEART INSTITUTE

Cardiology of Georgia (COG) on Highway 54 West in Fayetteville has become part of the Piedmont Heart Institute (PHI). Piedmont Heart Institute expands its expertise with the addition of the 20-member cardiovascular physician practice, Cardiology of Georgia, P.C., through a formal agreement with Piedmont Healthcare effective April 1, 2008. With eight locations including Fayetteville, Buckhead, Canton, and North Fulton, COG will become a new group practice under the Piedmont Heart Institute and an important addition to PHI as it continues to propel new programs in cardiovascular research, education and excellence in prevention, arrhythmias, coronary and vascular intervention, stroke and cardiac imaging.

"Cardiology of Georgia has been an integral part of the history and foundation of cardiovascular care at Piedmont for more than 30 years," said Michele M. Molden, President and CEO of the Piedmont Heart Institute. "COG will continue to serve our communities with clinical expertise and now, with involvement in the leadership and direction of the Piedmont Heart Institute."

The Piedmont Heart Institute (PHI) is the first of its kind affiliated with a community hospital system in greater Atlanta. It brings prominent cardiovascular physician groups together with one of the premier cardiac centers in the region. In fact, Piedmont Hospital was recently named Best in Atlanta for Overall Cardiac Care and Cardiac Surgery (2008) by HealthGrades®, the leading healthcare ratings organization.

Seeking greater alignment of the physicians and our hospitals, the Piedmont Heart Institute has implemented a new care delivery model in Atlanta that eliminates the barriers to working more closely together and creates a platform where leadership is shared with enhanced care and services for the community. This fully integrated financial model will ultimately improve the patient experience, care efficiencies, quality and outcomes.

William A. Blincoe, M.D., with COG in the Fayetteville and Buckhead offices, said, "Piedmont has been home to us for more than 30 years. It is only natural that we pursue this affiliation under the Piedmont Heart Institute with its vision of advancing cardiovascular care for those we serve."

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.
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