Page 15 - February 2017

Cardiology

Minimally Invasive Heart

Surgery Offers Faster

Recovery Time to Patients

If you or your loved one The minimal incision
is in need of heart surgery, approach has many appli-
you might be imagining a cations and can now be
complicated procedure applied to most cardiac
that requires a long recov- surgical procedures. These
ery time. But thanks to procedures include surger-
medical advancements ies on the major valves of
and innovative treat- the heart (Aortic, Mitral,
ments, many cardiac sur- and Tricuspid), combina-
gery patients are experi- tion procedures for multi-
encing less pain and faster ple valves at the same
recovery time through time, correction of con-
minimally invasive heart genital heart defects,
surgery. BY KENNETH removal of tumors in the
The Cardiovascular HERSKOWITZ, M.D. heart, combination of sur-
Services Department at gical and non-surgical atri-
Broward Health Medical Center offers al fibrillation ablation and multiple
the latest minimally invasive heart proce- bypass grafting of the coronary arteries.
dures and is dedicated to the advance- Through the Structural Heart Program,
ment of emerging technologies. Heart Broward Health Medical Center also pro-
surgeons at Broward Health treat com- vides Transcatheter Aortic Valve
plex cardiac conditions using a variety of Replacement (TAVR) utilizing small
techniques - including minimally inva- catheters and computer-guided technol-
sive surgery - with outstanding out- ogy to replace the aortic valve without
comes. Our experienced specialists are the need for a heart-lung machine. The
called to care and offer a full range of program offers options for select patients
minimally invasive procedures. with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis.
“While traditional “open heart” sur-
gery is performed through a sternotomy If you would like to find out if you are a
(which requires splitting the entire candidate for minimally invasive cardiac
breastbone), minimally invasive cardiac surgery or if you would like more informa-
surgery involves small 2” to 3” incisions tion regarding this approach, call (954)
placed between your ribs that are much 761.BEAT (2328).
smaller and less traumatic than a ster-
notomy,” said Kenneth Herskowitz, MD, Dr. Kenneth Herskowitz is Medical
a board certified cardiovascular and tho- Director of Cardiovascular and Thoracic
racic surgeon who has been practicing Surgery at Broward Health Medical Center.
since 1986.

HeartWell LLP Chosen for AvMed’s

2017 High Performance Network

HeartWell LLP announced that its 23-physician car-
diology practice has been accepted into the AvMed
2017 High Performance Network (HPN). This deci-
sion was based on consistent quality outcomes and
cost efficient care provided by HeartWell doctors.
HeartWell is the only cardiology team in the HPN that
takes hospital call at Baptist Hospital.
According to Jeffrey Kaplan, Chief Operating Officer
at HeartWell, this is excellent news for patients and
referring physicians. “AvMed Medicare patients who
use an HPN specialist provider will have a $5.00 co-
payment instead of $40.00, and they will be receiving
outstanding care from our integrated team of cardiol-
ogists, vascular specialists, lipidologists and electro- Jeffrey Kaplan
physiologists,” he said.
Every year, AvMed selects specialties using its quality and/or cost efficiency crite-
ria and methodology. Through this process, AvMed recognizes physicians who con-
sistently meet or exceed its performance criteria and acknowledges the value of all
physicians that meet NCQA credentialing standards for network participation.
“HeartWell is committed to providing the best possible patient care and care coor-
dination,” added Kaplan. “Inclusion in AvMed’s HPN is a testament to our dedica-
tion and a benefit to all our patients.”

E-mail Your Editorial Submissions to

editorial@southfloridahospitalnews.com

South Florida Hospital News southfloridahospitalnews.com February 2017 15