Guthrie Announces Affiliation with Temple Advanced Heart Failure Program

January 14, 2020

Guthrie and Temple University Hospital are announcing an affiliation for advanced heart failure services and heart transplants that will provide patients living in the Twin Tiers streamlined access to Temple’s heart transplant and advanced heart failure specialists. This affiliation offers greater coordination and management of patients with advanced heart failure, particularly those in need of mechanical circulatory support or transplantation.
 
This affiliation will allow Guthrie to expand its already advanced clinical and surgical services.
 
Cardiovascular care at Guthrie has a long and distinguished legacy as a leader of innovation. This history goes back more than 50 years, with pioneering open-heart surgery in 1967 at Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital. Guthrie led the first Structural Heart Program for the treatment of heart and valve defects in our region and was the first to offer patients the benefits of a hybrid operating room for heart and vascular procedures.

Guthrie continues to lead the way today, offering the first TAVR minimally invasive heart valve replacement in the Twin Tiers and providing The Watchman Device for treatment of atrial fibrillation. Our commitment to provide the best care continues with a new 18,000-square-foot cardiovascular center, which opened in May 2019.
The Guthrie Cardiac and Vascular Center is a nationally recognized program with 14 locations in Pennsylvania and New York. Guthrie was named one of the nation’s Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospitals for 2020 by IBM Watson HealthTM, based on a balanced scorecard of publicly available clinical, operational and patient satisfaction metrics and data. This is the 11th time Guthrie has been honored with this distinguished award making it one of only 10 hospitals nationally to have received this award as many times.
 
The Guthrie Heart Failure Program is a team of skilled physicians and advanced practice providers dedicated to the treatment and care of heart failure patients. Through this new affiliation with Temple, patients will see local Guthrie specialists and receive most pre and post-operative care close to home. Patients in need of advanced services, including a ventricular assist device (VAD) or a transplant, may be referred to Temple for their procedure. Upon discharge from Temple, post-surgical transplant care will be coordinated between Guthrie and Temple specialists.
 
Daniel Sporn, MD, FACC, MHA, Guthrie’s Chief of Cardiovascular Services said, “The Guthrie Cardiovascular Team enthusiastically welcomes Temple as a partner in rendering excellent, patient-centered care to those we serve. We take pride in providing our community with immediate access to the health care they need, utilizing cutting-edge technologies in a compassionate, hands-on environment.”
 
“We are pleased to announce this unique affiliation with Guthrie, which offers a unified approach to the care of heart failure patients with defined patient pathways between Guthrie and Temple,” said Michael Young, MHA, FACHE, President and CEO of Temple University Hospital. “It’s a win-win for patients, who will have access to Temple’s Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Program, one of the most experienced in the world.”
 
The Temple Heart Transplant Program is the fastest “list-to-transplant” site in the U.S., with the best 1-year survival in the region, and its advanced heart failure specialists and cardiovascular surgeons can offer the most advanced mechanical circulatory support solutions available.
 
Guthrie is a non-profit integrated health system located in north central Pennsylvania and upstate New York, serving patients from a twelve-county service area. Guthrie is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network and is the first health system based in Pennsylvania and New York to join this network. Guthrie is comprised of a research institute, home care/hospice, hospitals in Sayre, Pa., Corning, N.Y., Towanda, Pa., Troy, Pa. and Cortland, N.Y., as well as a multi-specialty group practice of more than 325 physicians and 210 advanced practice providers offering 47 specialties through a regional office network providing primary and specialty care in 22 communities in Pennsylvania and New York. In addition, Guthrie offers home medical equipment and respiratory therapy products at seven convenient Med Supply Depot locations. Guthrie provides a wide range of services and programs to enhance the health and well-being of those it serves.