RHC: Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center

Contact: Bill Mills
Telephone: (609)757-3858

The Cardiology program at our Lourdes has reached its maximum capacity due to the physical limitations of the Camden facility (See data below for open heart volumes). Lourdes annually performs 6000 cardiac catheterization diagnostic and interventional procedures, 2000 electrophysiology studies, 1300 open heart surgeries, 40,000 non-invasive procedures and has 4,400 cardiac rehabilitation visits. The quality reputation of the cardiology program is well known throughout the region, as cardiology has the broadest geographic patient base of any program at Lourdes (See data on patient origin below). With the proposed new facility, the Cardiology program will be able to serve New Jersey patients who are currently served by the Philadelphia hospitals (2800 cases in the Camden-Burlington-Gloucester county area in 1995) as well as future patients that are projected from the aging of the population.

Implementation
The heart hospital will contain 121 beds (10 intensive care cardiac recovery, 15 cardiac critical care, and 96 medical/surgical); 3 open heart operating rooms, 3 cardiac catheterization labs, 1 electrophysiology lab, 2 nuclear medicine rooms, a CT scanner, 2 stress test rooms, 1 Rad/Fluro room and 1 special procedure room.

Time Frame
This project requires a Certificate of Need from the State of New Jersey. This, plus design, construction, mobilization and licensure, projects operation by the end of the year 2000.

Financial Profile
The proposed heart hospital is planned to be a three story facility with 149,572 square feet with a construction cost of $34,353,750 ($229.68/square foot).

Outcome
This dedicated heart hospital achieves substantially lower costs, operating efficiency and more favorable outcomes by: Capturing efficiencies and economies available with a facility designed for the diagnosis and treatment of a single disease category, including eliminating unnecessary overhead frequently associated with a conventional hospital facility which is designed to provide a wide range of health care services; Replace labor with capital by designing the heart hospital to improve patient flow, incorporating advanced technology to create efficiency, reduce transportation costs, use clinical pathways and documentation by exception; Emphasizing labor savings through flex nursing and other optimal staffing patterns; Designing cardiac facilities with an emphasis on patient-focused care which eliminate or dramatically reduce non direct patient care staff; Utilize state-of-the-art technology to reduce labor costs; Crosstrain personnel; and Minimizing supervisory personnel.

Best Practice Narrative is limited to a one page summary.
Supporting data is limited to one page.

Cardiac Program Volume
Open Heart Surgery

Origin of Cardiac Patients Cared for at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center
1996 Cardiac Care Discharges
(n=5080)

Camden County
Camden City	466
Northern Camden County	1,314
Southern Camden County	1,129
Total Camden County	2,909
Burlington County
Northwestern Burlington County	232
Southwestern Burlington County	381
Eastern Burlington County	63
Total Burlington County	676
Gloucester County	676
Cumberland County	409
Salem County	109
Atlantic County	95
Mercer County	55
Cape May County	43
Other New Jersey	75
Philadelphia	33