Allegiance Receives Approval to Provide Emergency Angioplasty Services
July 15, 2004
Jackson, Mich. — Jackson area patients will be able to receive emergency primary angioplasty procedures at Allegiance Health within a year. Allegiance received approval through the State’s Certificate of Need (CON) process last week to provide angioplasty procedures for patients experiencing an immediate, life-threatening cardiac condition.
Non life-threatening, scheduled angioplasty procedures will still be performed at a facility with an open heart surgical program, which Allegiance Health does not currently have. A recent change in CON guidelines now makes it possible for hospitals without an open heart program to perform angioplasty in emergency cases. Allegiance applied for the CON under the new regulations.
Allegiance physicians and Jackson area patients testified last year during CON Commission hearings, emphasizing the critical need for primary angioplasty during emergency, life-threatening situations. Studies showed the delay in accessing lifesaving angioplasty was detrimental to patients. Last year, nearly 200 area patients were transferred from Allegiance Health for advanced cardiac care and more than 70 of those patients could have benefited from an emergency angioplasty.
With the CON approval, Allegiance will now partner with the University of Michigan Medical Center to help train staff. The angioplasty procedure will be performed in Allegiance's existing Cardiac Catheterization and Special Procedures Laboratory so new construction for this service will not be necessary.