CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

AAMC selected for cardiac program 'It's time for us to bring a program to Anne Arundel County,' CEO Victoria Bayless says

Capital - 3/24/2017

Anne Arundel Medical Center has been awarded an open-heart surgery program, the Maryland Health Care Commission decided Thursday in Baltimore.

After hours of testimony, the panel's ruling - in denying Baltimore Washington Medical Center's application - makes AAMC the first of its kind in the county with such a cardiac care unit.

AAMC officials believe the program will likely be open by the end of the year, said Victoria Bayless, the hospital's president and CEO.

"It's time for us to bring a program to Anne Arundel County," she said.

BWMC President and CEO Karen Olscamp said the hospital was disappointed with the commission's decision because the Glen Burnie hospital felt it had a strong application.

"We are concerned about the approach that the commission took to this area," she said. "We still believe the best option for residents of Anne Arundel County would be to have a program at BWMC."

Thursday's decision comes more than two years after both centers submitted applications for certificate of need for a cardiac surgery program. Dr. Craig Tanio, who served as a reviewer for the applications, recommended last December that AAMC receive the CON application and denied BWMC.

He wrote in the 147-page report that AAMC "has the highest potential for establishment of a lower charge cardiac surgery program that will also be high performing."

AAMC is the larger hospital and has a better geographic location than BWMC, putting it in a better position to have "the most positive impact on reducing travel time for cardiac surgery services," Tanio wrote.

Since Tanio made his initial recommendation in December, regional hospitals and local politicians have been outspoken about the CON applications.

While Anne Arundel County Executive Steve Schuh has supported the applications, the Prince George's delegation has been an outspoken critic. Prince George's politicians, including Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., believe that a cardiac surgery program in Anne Arundel could hurt the upcoming Prince George'sRegional Medical Center.

At Thursday's meeting, more than 75 people filled the small conference room to hear the commission's final decision.

Officials each had 15 minutes to argue their position. Interested parties, Dimensions Healthcare System, the parent company of Prince George's Hospital Center, and MedStar Health, had 10 minutes.

BWMC argued for the MHCC to reject Tanio's recommendation because the Glen Burnie hospital will serve as a lower cost, more convenient medical center for a cardiac surgery program. Unlike AAMC, the hospital won't take cases from competition, officials said.

The hospital argued against the data Tanio used in his recommendation to determine which hospital would meet the required volume of 200 patients in the program's second year. BWMC called the alternative model that Tanio used "logically unsound."

BWMC argued it is a "much safer bet" of the two medical centers regarding required volume.

Dimensions argued that AAMC has not properly proven that Prince George's Hospital Center won't be negatively impacted, while MedStar said both hospitals haven't shown that there was an unmet public need for another cardiac surgery program in the region.

AAMC said it should be given the CON since it met the state's required criteria and is in one of the most populated counties in Maryland that doesn't have a cardiac surgery program.

The hospital said more than 200 people are being transferred from AAMC to different hospitals each year for cardiac surgery.

"Nobody said to you that our program won't be successful," said Barry Rosen, a lawyer representing AAMC.

Before the commission took the vote, Tanio said he believes both Prince George's Hospital Center and AAMC can reach the required volume. The Annapolis center showed its program would be financially feasible, Tanio said, adding BWMC can still apply for a cardiac surgery CON at a later time.

"(AAMC has) shown that it will be able to deliver cardiac services that are effective and high quality," he said.

Cardiac patients at both hospitals are currently treated by angioplasty with a stent. The more serious cases are sent to hospitals in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., areas.

Credit: By Meredith Newman - mnewman@capgaznews.com

Nationwide News