From its inception seven years ago, this heart hospital has kept up to date with cardiac care.

One man’s vision became a reality when Galichia Heart Hospital opened its doors in December 2001. Dr. Joseph Galichia had a life-long dream of opening a cardiac care facility that included all aspects of heart care, from physician attention to education to diagnostic services.

“My dream is to create a center that uses the best technology in the most sensitive, caring way for the patient,” Galichia said in 2000. “I’m looking for the atmosphere of a five-star hotel, with the same attention to service and detail you would have in a similar facility.”

After purchasing a building originally meant for Met-Life’s world information headquarters in October 2000, construction began. By June that year, Galichia had relocated his Galichia Medical Group PA offices, and construction was still underway for the heart hospital. According to company materials, the new offices occupy 35,000 square feet of the 107,000-square-foot building—a significant expanse from the group practice’s former offices.

The offices were developed with capabilities to perform echocardiograms and nuclear medicine scans of the heart and vascular system. The offices also house a cardiac rehabilitation area, which makes it a perfect compliment to the heart hospital.

Leading the way
Galichia Heart Hospital opened as an 82-bed specialty hospital and was the fifth cardiac hospital in the Wichita area. Although the newest to open, GHH was the first healthcare facility in Wichita to acquire a 64-slice CT scanner. Although the procedure was, in 2006, not covered by insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid, the equipment better identifies cardiac problems for those at risk from high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and inactivity, to name a few.

“The 64-slice scanner makes it so easy to see heart conditions,” Dr. Mark Bowles told The Wichita Eagle. “We can diagnose conditions before they cause symptoms. I’ve been doing this for 30 years,
and I can name just a handful of innovations that represent quantum leaps in cardiac medicine. This is one of them.”

GHH CEO Tom Nester said the scanner is less expensive and less invasive than a heart catheter exam. Patients who use the machine also benefit from not having to take a significant amount of time off work. “The machine is so fast; we’ll be able to image many patients in a day. We can acquire an amazingly detailed image in the span of a single breath,” he told The Wichita Eagle.

Although state-of-the-art equipment is an important piece in providing high quality cardiac care, none of it matters without ongoing training. In March 2006, GHH hosted the Boston Scientific Mobile Simulation Training Unit to provide realistic simulation training for cardiac catheterization laboratory physicians and staff members.

According to Nester, coronary artery disease is the single leading killer of American men and women, affecting roughly 11 million people. “Our interventional cardiologists strive to stay informed about the latest technology to battle this deadly disease,” he said. “As technologies evolve and allow us to treat more challenging cases, it’s important for physicians to maintain the skill and comfort level needed to approach these high-risk scenarios. Continuous training is valuable in this regard and helps us enhance the high standard of care we provide to Wichita and the surrounding area.”

Equal opportunity care
In May 2006, GHH opened its own ED. The $3.8 million project included 14 treatment beds, central monitoring, and quicker access to the hospital’s technology. The move was seen by many as a chance for the hospital to show its intention to be more than a cardiac specialty hospital.

In the five years since it opened its doors, GHH’s status changed from specialty to general acute care. The change was prompted by community and physician requests. Although other EDs in the Wichita area see hundreds of patients a day, the administration at GHH expected to see roughly 30 patients a day.

Because GHH cannot admit severe trauma patients or handle inpatient pediatrics, its ED was meant to compliment the other EDs in the area, not act as a competitor. “The emergency services at other hospitals right now are so overtaxed with patients seeking care—we’re glad to help the community,” Mickey Whitney, chief clinical officer at the time, told The Wichita Eagle.

In January 2007, GHH instituted a 15-minute wait-time promise to patients who walk through the doors of its ED. In the months since it opened, the ED had only seen roughly 3,600 patients. The hospital’s administration hoped this promise would increase awareness of its ED and the array of services available.

In June, the hospital announced a $50 co-pay to all ED patients, once again pushing the envelope of healthcare as the first acute care hospital in Wichita to provide a discounted fee. In January, patient volumes were roughly 50% below what GHH administration predicted. However, as patient volumes continue to increase, founder Joseph Galichia is confident this move will bring the hospital’s ED up to the standards he’d envisioned.

“We’re trying to provide care for people who otherwise might not seek it,” Galichia said. “We’ve addressed the long wait time, and now we’re looking at cost."