Your Local Go-To Team for Heart and Vascular Care

MyMichigan’s comprehensive Heart and Vascular Program is served by an experienced team of physicians and advanced practice providers with MyMichigan Medical Group. These include cardiologists, interventional cardiologists, electrophysiologists, heart failure and heart valve specialists, as well as vascular and cardiovascular surgeons. So, where do you go, when you need heart and vascular care? You don’t need to go far, because you have a local go-to team ready to serve you in Alma, Mt. Pleasant and Clare.

Additionally, a wide variety of diagnostic cardiac and vascular tests are also available locally through your local MyMichigan Medical Center. Tests vary by location, but these include exercise and nuclear stress tests, echocardiograms (EKGs), Holter monitoring, venous doppler, carotid duplex, ABI, vein mapping, as well as av fistula and arterial assessments. Additionally, diagnostic cardiac catheterization is offered at MyMichigan Medical Center Alma. Should more advanced treatment become necessary, nearby MyMichigan Medical Center Midland provides streamlined access to a full range of interventional procedures like angioplasty and stenting, structural heart procedures like TAVR, MitraClip™ and WATCHMAN™, as well as open and vascular heart surgery.

^{MitraClip™ is a trademark of Abbott and WATCHMAN™ is a trademark of Boston Scientific.} 

A Complete Continuum of Care

One of the best reasons to make MyMichigan your home for heart and vascular care is that we offer a full continuum of care close to home. This includes streamlined emergency intervention and minimally invasive procedures, as well as advanced heart and vascular surgery, and clinical trials. This saves time, avoids duplicate paperwork and testing, and provides smoother transition to local recovery options such as home care, cardiac rehabilitation and follow-up appointments.

Our comprehensive heart and vascular offerings differentiate MyMichigan and ensure that our communities have access to the highest standards of cardiac care based on best practices. We take pride in striving to provide care where, when and how patients want it delivered.

Heart Failure Clinic

For your convenience, a Heart Failure Clinic is offered within our cardiology offices in Alma, Clare and Mt. Pleasant. MyMichigan’s Heart Failure Program was developed in collaboration with the University of Michigan and is based on best practices for treating patients suffering from heart failure. The program is designed to assist patients in monitoring responses to treatment, modifying behaviors, adjusting medications, coordinating care with their doctor or advanced practice provider, and facilitating referrals for advanced heart failure treatments.

• Provide chronic disease management and optimal care for high risk patients with congestive heart failure
• Prevent unnecessary hospital readmissions
• Provide guideline driven medical and device therapy
• Counsel patients on self-care behaviors (i.e., low-sodium diets, daily weight monitoring)
• Improve the overall quality of life for heart failure patients
• Provide end stage disease support and referral for palliative care/hospice
• Promote clinical research opportunities
• Provide smooth transitions and coordinate care between social work, pharmacy, cardiac rehabilitation, nutrition services, as well as primary care and specialty providers
• Streamline advanced heart failure care to our clinical partners at the UMHS Heart Failure and Heart Transplant Program

Cardiac Rehabilitation

Cardiac rehabilitation is a physician prescribed, medically-supervised outpatient program designed to help patients recover from a cardiac event and/or procedure. The program focuses on exercise training to strengthen the cardiovascular system post heart attack, PTCA (coronary angioplasty), bypass surgery, heart valve repair/replacement, and/or certain forms of congestive heart failure. It can also be prescribed for patients with certain forms of congestive heart failure. The program is individually customized with the goal of assisting patients in gaining independence towards a heart healthy lifestyle. The cardiac rehab team consists of exercise physiologists, nurses and respiratory therapists who work with patients during their clinical sessions. Every 30 days the patient’s individualized treatment plan is reviewed by our cardiologist/medical director. Progression and changes are communicated with the patient’s primary care provider/cardiologist as needed. Locations include Alma and Clare.