SIOUX CITY – In less than four months since its creation, Mercy Cardiology has seen a significant growth in the number of patients who are choosing to have their cardiac care provided at Mercy rather than going out of town.
In fact, because of the growth and demand for services, Mercy is exploring options on establishing additional locations for Mercy Cardiology.
Dr. Mick Hurley is the medical director for Mercy Cardiology group and his Mayo Clinic training is a welcome addition to the roster of cardiologists practicing in our region. He is a graduate of the University Of South Dakota School Of Medicine in Vermillion and completed his residencies in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Diseases at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota. While at Mayo, Dr. Hurley also trained in invasive and interventional cardiology. Dr. Hurley is triple-board certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Diseases and Interventional Cardiology.
People are also reading…
“I am thrilled with the progress we have made since Mercy Cardiology was introduced to the community last October,” said Dr. Hurley. “Mercy has always been recognized as the area’s “Heart Hospital” and the level of care our cardiologists have brought to the community is exciting. This new year promises to bring news of additional growth in Mercy Cardiology and we are truly appreciative of the great responses we receive daily from our loyal patients.”
Bob Peebles, the president and CEO of Mercy Medical Center, says Mercy Cardiology’s intense focus on patient relationships has created a notable advantage.
“Dr. Hurley and the other associates of Mercy Cardiology have a laser-like focus on practicing medicine and providing world class customer service to their patients,” said Peebles. “The feedback we receive from the growing number of Mercy Cardiology patients tells us we are on the right track. The care they receive from our hospital-aligned doctors is world class. Bottom line - Mercy has always been and still is the only full-service, comprehensive heart hospital in Siouxland.”
The Mercy Heart Center is the only hospital in the area that performs open-heart surgery and operates a full-service electrophysiology lab for patients with arrhythmia problems.
The decision to create Mercy Cardiology was driven by patient demand. Over the course of the last few years, more cardiac cases were heading to Sioux Falls and Omaha. The addition of Mercy Cardiology now gives patients more options to be seen at home rather than driving out-of-town and helps Siouxland maintain its history as the regional health care leader.
Mercy’s transition to hospital-aligned cardiologists is consistent with the national trend of specialists seeking relationships with hospitals. In addition to a decline in cardiologist’s reimbursements every year since 2000, increasing federal regulations have made it increasingly difficult for independent cardiology groups to recruit and grow.
Based on the results thus far, that goal is being met as Mercy Cardiology continues to bring new growth to the Siouxland medical community. According to the latest HealthGrade rating, Mercy Medical Center is the highest rated hospital in Siouxland for cardiac care.
