Chamber member Lutheran Hospital is partnering with DeKalb Memorial Hospital of Auburn, IN to provide cardiac catheterization services to patients in the area. For the first time in northeastern Indiana, patients will be able to access diagnostic cardiac catheterization services through a community hospital. These services are almost always reserved for larger tertiary or specialized care facilities.
Officials from Lutheran Hospital and DeKalb Memorial Hospital took part in a ceremonial check presentation that officially signals the start of construction on a 4,000-square-foot cardiac cath lab at DeKalb Memorial Hospital. The diagnostic cardiac cath lab will be an outpatient department of Lutheran Hospital.
The new relationship provides patients greater access to the skilled cardiologists on the medical staff at Lutheran who perform more than 2,800 diagnostic heart caths annually. Lutheran will invest $1.5 million to equip its outpatient cath lab at DeKalb Memorial Hospital.
Patients who may have otherwise ended up in Fort Wayne for heart care will now in most cases be treated at their own community hospital. For those who are admitted as inpatients, additional care such as radiology and lab work will be provided by DeKalb Memorial. Last year, 158 patients from DeKalb County received diagnostic heart caths at Lutheran Hospital to diagnose coronary artery disease.
As part of the arrangement, Lutheran will sign a seven-year lease at DeKalb to operate the cath lab.
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