Business Overview

The Columbia HeartSource^sm product represents the services of a management team that includes senior cardiac surgeons, clinical staff, business managers and administrators, all from the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center (NYPH/CUMC). We help community hospitals to enhance their existing cardiac surgery program or launch one de novo.

Columbia HeartSource currently holds Management Service Agreement (MSA) contracts with nine hospitals in five states and manages 16 surgeons throughout these facilities. Hospitals contracted with HeartSource automatically hold membership in the Columbia HeartSource Community of hospitals (CHSC). We refer to these institutions as "CHSC affiliates," and because their MSAs build inter-institutional research- and education-based relationships, this group is truly a network.

In the face of a national trend of declining demand for cardiac surgery that began in 2004, Columbia HeartSource has been successful in starting four new programs and in assisting the turnaround of six other programs that had either stopped performing surgery or needed leadership assistance.

Hospitals throughout the CHSC had a volume of 1,200 adult and 100 pediatric cases during the past year. Predicted volume for the coming year is 1,400 adult and 200 pediatric cases. In both the adult and pediatric cardiac arenas, Columbia HeartSource has a record of successfully working with its clients to transfer cardiovascular clinical knowledge, establish and manage quality assurance systems, provide surgical leadership and training, and supply growth and management expertise.

Columbia HeartSource's approach to establishing and managing cardiac care programs is multidisciplinary and encompasses the entire continuum of care during a cardiac surgery patient's hospitalization.

Our clients benefit from Columbia HeartSource's ability to design, implement, and manage a cardiac surgery program by:

• Defining cardiovascular service opportunities in the organization's markets;
• Identifying the resources needed to implement those services;
• Distinguishing organizational strengths and identifying how they are aligned with market opportunities;
• Understanding organizational barriers to implementing cardiac surgery services;
• Organizing administration, physical space, funding and personnel to provide efficiency and excellence in cardiac care;
• Recruiting and training surgeons, clinical frontline staff, and support staff;
• Establishing ongoing and continuous quality improvement; and
• Boosting marketing initiatives and consumer confidence through methods that include use of the Columbia name, if desired.

We create a comprehensive and integrated program for each of our clients. The following is an overview of each of the service-components in Columbia HeartSource's service offerings. Each component can be customized to suit an institution's particular needs.