University Hospitals Realigns Heart and Birthing Services in Two West Market Hospitals

CLEVELAND – In responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, University Hospitals demonstrated the value of working as a health system by leveraging its extensive resources and deep expertise in clinical and nonclinical disciplines. Its achievements were the result of collaboration on a unified approach to the crisis.

Now, as UH looks beyond the pandemic, it believes the time is right to apply the same principles of a system approach across its entities, institutes and service lines to ensure the highest value for patients.

UH’s West market is leading the way by moving thoughtfully and deliberately to enhance delivery of health care by consolidating heart surgery locations, and labor and delivery services from UH Elyria to UH St. John medical centers.

UH will increase the number of heart surgeries performed at UH Elyria as a result of a decision to close the UH St. John cardiac surgery program. While heart surgeries will no longer be performed at UH St. John, the medical center will remain an important center for heart and vascular services and continue to offer a full-range of diagnostic and therapeutic cardiac and peripheral catheterization procedures, including elective and emergency ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) percutaneous coronary interventions. Diagnostic electrophysiology procedures, device implantation and right-sided ablations also will continue to be performed at St John. Caregivers in the UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute are not expected to be impacted.

Additionally, birthing services at UH Elyria will transition to UH St. John, supported by its nationally acclaimed UH Rainbow neonatology services. UH Elyria will continue to offer comprehensive women’s and children’s services including OB/GYN physician and midwife care, the Hampson Mole Breast Health Suite, GYN surgical services, and pediatric ED services in the Rainbow-branded Emergency Department on the Elyria campus. The only existing service that would not occur on the Elyria campus is delivering babies.

Caregivers working in labor and delivery at UH Elyria will have opportunities to transfer to UH St. John or to other facilities within the UH health system. The process of consolidating services will occur over a period of months.

“We know that there will be concerns in the Elyria community about these changes,” said Daniel Simon, MD, Chief Clinical & Scientific Officer for UH, “but we’re confident that these moves will benefit all of our West market patients. Experience nationally shows that outcomes and patient experience improve when the number of similar procedures performed at a facility increases. Higher volume care can also be provided at a lower cost, helping to keep health care more affordable for patients.”