When are we finally going to start realizing that there need to be regional centers of excellence for some diseases and conditions? Landmark having their own cardiac program was disingenous from the begining. Those who need these procedures already have enough facilities both in Rhode Island and Massachusetts to handle these types of procedures. And don't give me the "they won't drive" excuse. They'll drive to Lincoln and Foxwoods, they'll drive to Miriam.

Isn't it good news that research is changing the number of people needing open heart surgery? And aren't the "numbers down", too, at RI Hospital & The Miriam? Competition, if you can call it that, breeds better quality. The little engine that could - Landmark - is a formidable foe for the giant, Lifespan. Of course Lifespan would want to squish it like a bug. The Dept. of Health should strongly support this program - it is raising the bar of quality in RI - and no one thinks it is responsible for the financial woes of a small community hospital - it is experiencing exactly what every community hospital is experiencing without open heart surgery to point a finger at for the reason why. If the Health Dept. wants to help "the people" then it should support the people of northern RI and the great cardiac program at Landmark, and push the giant in Providence to improve their outcomes.

My understanding is that the providence hospitals have been performing these procedures for many years and are proficient. Travel should also never be an issue, 20 minutes on route 146 will bring the ill patient to Providence with very quick response. So i think this needs to be addressed seriously for the best care of the patient.

I always had a poor impression of Landmark UNTIL I had to use the emergency room at Miriam Hospital and Miriam misdiagnosed my problem as a "bad stomach ache".
In agony and in severe pain, I went to Landmark which, within minutes, realized I needed emergency surgery to remove my gall bladder.
The quality of care I got at Landmark was FAR SUPERIOR to the care I got at Miriam.
The State has conspired with Blue Cross to not properly re-imburse Landlark for medical bills, hence the Hospital has problems.
Shame on Blue Cross.

The Cardiac Program was a disaster from the beginning that gutted the Surgery Department first and then acted as a drain on the entire hospital. The hospital leadership ran roughshod over its own by-laws in setting up the Program and stroking its putative chair. The CEO and CFO of Landmark are a disgrace and solely to blame for the hospital's exodus of personnel. They took a first rate regional facility and turned it into a dying institution.

I have been a traveling nurse for several years and during that time I have traveled nation wide, working in Cardiac Operating Rooms at some of the most prestigious hospitals in the country. I recently had the privilege to work with the Cardiac team at Landmark Medical Center. I was on assignment there for six months and during that time I was constantly impressed with the level of care that cardiac patients at Landmark received; both in the Cardiac Operating Room and in the CVICU. Landmark is the smallest program that I have ever worked at. It is also among the best. Although the number of surgeries is down (this is a national trend at programs both large and small)the surgical outcomes are impressive for a program of any size. If people are going to look at numbers, please be sure to look at them all. It is easy to point out that one can drive a short distance in any direction for cardiac care- I think that the biggest question that one should ask themselves is what kind of care? Landmark's heart program is a group of well trained professionals who are giving the community amazing care. Landmark may be in the red from a fiscal standpoint but do not for one second question the quality of care given at Landmark everyday...it can compete with any heart program in the country.