The American College of Cardiology (ACC) has recognized Intermountain Health Saint Joseph Hospital for its demonstrated commitment to comprehensive and high-quality cardiovascular care. 

Saint Joseph Hospital was awarded the HeartCARE Center National Distinction of Excellence for meeting accreditation criteria and ongoing performance registry reporting. 

Hospitals and health systems that have earned a HeartCARE Center designation have met a rigorous set of criteria. This includes participation in at least two ACC Accreditation Services programs, National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) registries and targeted quality improvement campaigns such as the Patient Navigator Program: Focus MI, which are designed to help hospitals and institutions close gaps in guideline-based care. 

Additionally, Saint Joseph Hospital has achieved NCDR Chest Pain - MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award, and is also accredited for Cardiac Cath Lab with PCI, Chest Pain Center with PCI and Resuscitation, and Transcatheter Valve. 

Saint Joseph Hospital is ranked as High Performing in Heart Attack care from US News and World Report for all procedures including Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair, Aortic Valve Surgery, Heart Attack, Heart Failure, Heart Bypass Surgery, and TAVR, and top star ratings as designated by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), which places the hospital among the top hospitals in the nation. 

“This designation provides evidence of the elite status of Saint Joseph Hospital’s quality of cardiovascular care,” said Amy Blasing, president of Saint Joseph Hospital. 

“Saint Joseph Hospital has demonstrated its commitment to providing excellent heart care,” said Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH, FACC, chair of the ACC Accreditation Management Board. “ACC Accreditation Services is proud to award Saint Joe’s with the HeartCARE Center designation.” 

Hospitals receiving the HeartCARE Center designation from the ACC have demonstrated their commitment to consistent, high-quality cardiovascular care through comprehensive process improvement, disease and procedure-specific accreditation, professional excellence, and community engagement. 

Saint Joseph Hospital has proven to be a forward-thinking institution with goals to advance the cause of sustainable quality improvement. 
 

Intermountain Health will host four Heart Health Fairs on Friday, Feb. 6 across Colorado to kick off National Heart Month, reminding the community that good heart health can be a team sport.

The events in Denver, Grand Junction, Lafayette and Wheat Ridge, will give community members education and tools to help them improve heart health.

Abbie Donaldson, RN, is the chest pain coordinator at Intermountain Health Lutheran Hospital and spent several years working in the cardiac intensive care unit and cardiac cath lab. She said knowing that individuals can make a difference in heart health has inspired her work.   

“With risk factor modification and educating the community on heart attack care and CPR, we can come together, and we can take actionable measures to help people save lives,” she said.  

At the health fair, people can practice hands-only CPR. Donaldson said accurate, aggressive CPR started on someone who has suffered a cardiac event outside the hospital increases that person’s chance of survival by 85-90%. They also can see a demonstration of an automated external defibrillator (AED) that can be lifesaving when used with someone who has lethal heart arrythmia.   

“The best thing to do when someone suffers from a cardiac event is to start CPR, call for help and have someone go find an AED nearby,” Donaldson said.   

Other topics covered at the health fairs will include:  

• Smoking cessation
• Symptoms of heart attack or stroke
• Stroke education and prevention
• Heart-healthy exercise
• Mindfulness and stress reduction
• Blood pressure screening
• Hands-only CPR and AED demonstrations
• Nutrition and healthy snacks
• American Heart Association information and more. 

Health fairs will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6 at Intermountain Health Good Samaritan Hospital, 200 Exempla Circle, Lafayette; Lutheran Hospital, 12911 W. 40th Ave., Wheat Ridge; and Saint Joseph Hospital, 1375 E. 19th Ave., Denver. In Grand Junction at Intermountain Health St. Mary's Regional Hospital, 2635 N. 7th St., the event is 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Feb. 6.

Organizers encourage everyone to Wear Red for the day to celebrate the kickoff of National Heart Month.

Note: If members of the media want to attend, please contact Sara Quale, sara.quale@imail.org or call 970-310-3749, to coordinate.    

Vegas Inc. released their 2025 “40 Under 40” award list that honors 42 people from many sectors in the Las Vegas area and Meghan Fitzgibbons, practice director for cardiovascular services in Las Vegas for Intermountain Health, was named to the prestigious list.

The publication lists that the honorees “are the performers, real estate agents, doctors, teachers, philanthropists, leaders and changemakers who make the community one of diversity, growth and vibrancy.”

Fitzgibbons career with Intermountain Health began in 2023 as the first nurse manager for cardiology in Nevada, before she quickly found herself in leadership roles in cardiology for Intermountain's Desert Region – which serves Nevada and Southwest Utah.

“I have worked with thousands of health care professionals and many clinical leaders throughout my career and where Meghan stands out is her fierce determination to know, her indomitable drive to do, and her genuine concern of who she’s doing it for,” said James Neider, executive director with Intermountain’s medical group. “She can talk the talk with legal, strategy, accounting, medical, clinical, virtually every heath care discipline. She works tirelessly and yields highly valuable results. I’m very grateful to be able to work with her and learn from her each day.”

The drive for a healthcare career began as a child she said as her mother had significant health challenges when she was little that kept her in the hospital for considerable time.

“The nurses in the hospital made going there to see her not at all scary, and even rather fun for my sister and I – everything they did to take care of us and my mum seemed like magic, and I wanted to be part of that,” Fitzgibbons said.

Her focus on her career and leadership has been about helping ease the burdens from her teams to keep focus on patient care.

“As rewarding as working at the front lines of healthcare can be, it’s also very hard work. Simplifying processes and removing barriers to make it as easy as possible my teams to do their jobs, to achieve clinical excellence, and be able to spend as much meaningful face time with patients and their families as possible is my goal,” Fitzgibbons said.

She received her award at Vegas Inc's annual ceremony and is honored in the publication.

“Earning this award is honestly such an honor, and I was honestly quite speechless when I got the initial notification that I had been selected as a 2025 Honoree,” Fitzgibbons said. “To me, it’s a profound recognition that the community honors and respects the work we are doing to change and improve the landscape of healthcare in Las Vegas.” 

The 40 Under 40 Award entire list can be found at the Vegas Inc. website.

Four-year-old Sienna works out at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital like she’s training for something big. She really is: A new heart.

Despite her young age, Sienna is already making history.  

Sienna is one of the first pediatric patients in the world to undergo structured cardiac rehabilitation workouts at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital while connected to a ventricular assistive device (VAD) that helps keep her heart beating.

The workouts have helped her go from a 3-year-old who could barely move while in the intensive care unit (ICU), to an energetic child who likes to run through the hospital halls and push a toy shopping cart filled with weights.

“As parents, some of our hardest days were when Sienna was so sick and weak that she had no desire to play,” said her mom, Francesca Barton. “Now you’d never even guess she has half of a heart. She is so strong and energetic that she wears all of us adults out.”

For the pediatric cardiac team at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital, Sienna’s progress is another example of the medical advances at the hospital that is helping young heart patients survive and thrive.

Sienna was born with a congenital heart defect called hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Despite two open heart surgeries, she developed severe heart failure.

To keep her alive, cardiac surgeons at the hospital implanted the ventricular assistive device in Sienna to help her weakened heart pump blood to her body while she waits for a heart organ transplant.

When she first got the VAD, Sienna was so weak that walking across her hospital room left her exhausted. But her life changed when she started cardiac rehabilitation.

“Cardiac rehab without a doubt has helped our VAD patients go into heart transplant stronger and healthier than ever before,” said Lindsay May, MD, pediatric cardiologist at University of Utah Health who helps oversee the VAD program at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital.

“Our patients have measurably more stamina and strength as a result of cardiac rehab, which can only better prepare them for the huge post-transplant recovery. Our cardiac rehab team has an incredible rapport with these kids, and they worked closely with us to develop safety protocols and guidelines to make the rehab process as airtight as possible," said Dr. May. 

Cardiac rehabilitation is standard for adults with heart problems, but is a relatively new therapy for children, and rare among young children with severe heart failure. The nationally ranked Heart Center at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital is one of the nation’s few programs to offer it to kids.

“It is important that every child be physically active, especially those with heart disease, or who are waiting for a heart transplant,” said Jessica Pavlock, exercise physiologist and cardiac rehab lead at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital. “It builds endurance and strength, supports kids’ physical and mental health, and helps patients like Sienna reclaim the joy of being a child, even while in the hospital. Although her journey is not over yet, one thing is certain: She has a bright future, full of play, laughter, and endless possibilities.”

Cardiac rehab patients work with an exercise physiologist a few times per week to improve their muscular strength, aerobic capacity, and physical performance by engaging in activities they like to do.   

“Being active will help heart patients feel happier, be healthier, sleep better, and do better at school,” said Dan Ziebell, MD, pediatric cardiologist with University of Utah Health and director of the cardiac fitness program at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital.

Sienna’s exercises began with walking, slowly and gently. Week by week, her strength returned.

Today, at 4 years old, Sienna is bursting with energy.

She laughs and sings at the top of her lungs while climbing the hospital stairs. She is the boss of her cardiac rehab sessions that continue to help her strength and endurance as she prepares for a heart transplant.

“Cardiac Rehab has allowed Sienna to have a wonderful quality of life throughout this long, unexpected 755-day hospital stay,” her mom said. “I have no doubt Sienna’s body is in the best shape possible to accept her hero heart. Jessica and her team have been so outstanding, we are incredibly grateful for them and Cardiac Rehab program.”

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Sienna, de 4 años, se ejercita en Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital como si entrenara para algo grande. Y lo cierto es que lo está haciendo: un corazón nuevo.

A pesar de su corta edad, Sienna ya está haciendo historia.

Sienna es una de las primeras pacientes pediátricas del mundo en someterse a ejercicios de rehabilitación cardiaca estructurada en Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital mientras está conectada a un dispositivo de asistencia ventricular (VAD, por sus siglas en inglés) que mantiene a su corazón latiendo.

Con los ejercicios, ha pasado de ser una pequeña de 3 años que apenas podía moverse en la sala de cuidados intensivos (ICU, por sus siglas en inglés) a una niña llena de energía a quien le gusta correr por los pasillos del hospital y mover un carrito de supermercado de juguete lleno con pesas.

“Como padres, algunos de los días más difíciles eran cuando Sienna estaba tan enferma y débil que no quería jugar”, comentó su mamá, Francesca Barton. “Ahora casi no se darían cuenta de que tiene medio corazón. Está tan fuerte y tiene tanta energía que nos agota a todos los adultos”.

Para el equipo cardiaco pediátrico de Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital, la evolución clínica de Sienna es otro ejemplo de los avances médicos del hospital para que los pacientes jóvenes con cardiopatías sobrevivan y prosperen.

Sienna nació con un defecto cardiaco congénito llamado síndrome de hipoplasia de las cavidades izquierdas del corazón. A pesar de que se le realizaron dos cirugías a corazón abierto, desarrolló una insuficiencia cardiaca grave.

Para mantenerla viva, los cardiocirujanos del hospital implantaron un dispositivo de asistencia ventricular en Sienna para que su corazón debilitado pueda bombear sangre al cuerpo mientras espera por un trasplante de corazón.

Cuando le colocaron el VAD, Sienna estaba tan débil que caminar por la habitación del hospital la dejaba exhausta. Pero su vida cambió cuando comenzó con la rehabilitación cardiaca.

“Sin dudas, la rehabilitación cardiaca ha sido beneficiosa para que nuestros pacientes con VAD lleguen más fuertes y saludables que nunca al trasplante del corazón”, explicó Lindsay May, MD, cardióloga pediátrica de la Universidad de Utah, quien supervisa el programa del VAD en Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital. “Nuestros pacientes tienen más resistencia física y fuerza medible como resultado de la rehabilitación cardiaca, que los prepara mejor para la inmensa recuperación postrasplante. El equipo de rehabilitación cardiaca tiene una relación increíble con estos niños y trabajó cerca nuestro para desarrollar protocolos y pautas de seguridad para que el proceso de rehabilitación sea el más seguro posible”.

La rehabilitación cardiaca es la norma para los adultos con cardiopatías, pero es una terapia relativamente nueva para los niños, y es extraño que se utilice en niños pequeños con insuficiencia cardiaca grave. El Centro del Corazón de Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital, posicionado en el ámbito nacional, es uno de los pocos programas del país en ofrecerla para los niños.

“Es importante que cada niño se mantenga físicamente activo, en especial aquellos con cardiopatías o que están esperando un trasplante de corazón”, afirma Jessica Pavlock, fisióloga de actividad física y líder de rehabilitación cardiaca de Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital. “Desarrolla la resistencia y la fuerza, apoya la salud física y mental de los niños y sirve para que los pacientes como Sienna recuperen la alegría de ser niños, aun cuando están en el hospital. A pesar de que su recorrido todavía no termina, algo es cierto: la espera un futuro brillante, lleno de juegos, risas e infinitas posibilidades”.

Los pacientes de rehabilitación cardiaca trabajan con un fisiólogo de actividad física algunas veces a la semana para mejorar su fuerza muscular, capacidad aeróbica y rendimiento físico al participar en actividades que les gustan.

“Al mantenerse activos, los pacientes cardiacos se sentirán más felices, estarán más saludables, dormirán mejor y les irá mejor en la escuela”, mencionó Dan Ziebell, MD, cardiólogo pediátrico de la Universidad de Utah y director del programa de aptitud física cardiaca de Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital.

La actividad física de Sienna comenzó con caminatas lentas y suaves. Semana tras semana, recuperó la fuerza.

Hoy, con 4 años, Sienna estalla de energía.

Se ríe y canta con todas sus fuerzas mientras sube por las escaleras del hospital. Es la líder de sus sesiones de rehabilitación cardiaca durante las que continúa desarrollando su fuerza y resistencia mientras se prepara para un trasplante de corazón.

“Gracias a la rehabilitación cardiaca, Sienna puede tener una calidad de vida maravillosa durante esta hospitalización larga e inesperada de 755 días”, dijo su mamá. “No tengo dudas de que el cuerpo de Sienna está en la mejor forma posible para aceptar su corazón de héroe. Jessica y su equipo han sido excepcionales. Estamos increíblemente agradecidos por ellos y el programa de rehabilitación cardiaca”.

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Tres hospitales de Intermountain Health están clasificados entre los 50 mejores hospitales cardíacos del país para 2025, según un nuevo estudio nacional de hospitales cardíacos en Estados Unidos. 

Premier Inc. publicó su estudio anual y clasificaciones de los 50 mejores hospitales cardiovasculares del país para 2025. Intermountain Medical Center en Murray, Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital en Ogden e Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital están entre los 50 hospitales con mejor desempeño en cuanto a calidad de atención, resultados y experiencia del paciente, entre otros criterios. 

Según el estudio, si los hospitales de todo el país tuvieran calificaciones semejantes a los que figuran en la lista de los 50 mejores, podría significar 14,000 (catorce mil) muertes menos, 28,600 (veintiocho mil seiscientos) pacientes menos de derivación y angioplastia que sufren complicaciones y ahorrar más de 1.5 billones de dólares en costos de hospitalización en 2025. 

“Tener tres hospitales de Intermountain Health en esta lista demuestra el enfoque que tenemos en todo el sistema para brindar la mejor atención cardiovascular a los pacientes de todas las comunidades a las que prestamos servicios”, afirmó el Dr. Blake Gardner, director médico sénior del programa cardíaco y vascular de Intermountain Health. 

Las clasificaciones de los hospitales se dividen en tres categorías: Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital ocupa el primer lugar en la nación entre los hospitales docentes sin contar con un programa de residencia cardiovascular, Intermountain Medical Center ocupa el tercer lugar entre los hospitales con un programa de residencia cardiovascular e Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital ocupa el cuarto lugar entre los hospitales comunitarios. 

“Al contar con estos programas de primera categoría en hospitales de todo el estado, los pacientes no tienen que viajar lejos para recibir la mejor atención cardíaca posible”, agregó el Dr. Gardner. 

El estudio de Premier, una empresa de mejora de la atención médica que ha estudiado y clasificado los mejores hospitales cardiovasculares de Estados Unidos desde 1998, utiliza datos disponibles al público para evaluar anualmente los indicadores de rendimiento, incluida la experiencia del paciente, la mortalidad y las complicaciones de los pacientes internados, las readmisiones y la mortalidad a los 30 días, la duración promedio de la internación y el costo por caso. 

“Estoy muy orgulloso del personal cardiovascular de McKay-Dee Hospital, que son responsables de lograr este increíble hito y que atienden tan bien a nuestros pacientes y a la comunidad”, afirmó el Dr. Eric Lindley, director de cardiología y presidente del personal médico de Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital. “Al innovar teniendo en cuenta a los pacientes, abordamos uno de los mayores problemas de salud que enfrenta nuestra comunidad”. 

Intermountain Health participa en investigaciones cardíacas pioneras y en varios programas clínicos innovadores que mejoran la salud y atención cardíaca de los pacientes. 

“Nos esforzamos constantemente por ayudar a nuestros pacientes desarrollando nuevos tratamientos y participando en investigaciones avanzadas para ayudarlos a vivir la vida más saludable posible”, afirmó el Dr. Stephen McKellar, cirujano cardiotorácico y director médico del programa cardíaco y vascular de Intermountain Medical Center. “Es gratificante para nuestro equipo, y especialmente significativo para nuestros pacientes, que la dedicación de nuestro personal sea reconocida a nivel nacional”. 

Para ver la lista completa de los 50 mejores hospitales cardiovasculares de Premier para 2025, haga clic aquí. 
 

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Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden is ranked as the #1 teaching heart hospital in the nation without a cardiovascular residency program for 2025, according to a new national study of heart hospitals in America.

Premier Inc. released its annual list of the nation’s Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospitals, and Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital is not only ranked #1 for teaching hospitals without a cardiovascular residency program, but one of the Top 50 heart hospitals in America.

The study by Premier, which is a health care improvement company that has been studying and ranking America’s best cardiovascular hospitals since 1998, uses publicly available data to annually assess performance indicators including patient experience, inpatient mortality, and complications, 30-day mortality and readmissions, and average length of stay and cost per case.

If hospitals around the country had similar metrics to those that made the Top 50 list – including those at Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital – it could mean 14,000 fewer deaths, 28,600 fewer bypass and angioplasty patients suffering complications, and save more than $1.5 billion for inpatient costs, according to the study.

Two other Intermountain Health hospitals were also ranked by Premier as Top 50 hospitals, including Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, which ranked third for hospitals with a cardiovascular residency program, and Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital, which ranked fourth among community hospitals.

I’m so proud of the cardiovascular caregivers at McKay-Dee Hospital who are responsible for achieving this incredible milestone and who serve our patients and community so well,” said Eric Lindley, MD, chair of cardiology and medical staff president at Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital. “By innovating with patients in mind we are helping tackle one of the biggest health issues facing our community.”

Intermountain Health participates in pioneering heart research and is involved in several innovative clinical programs that improve cardiac health and heart care for patients.

“Having three Intermountain Health hospitals on this list shows our systemwide focus on providing the very best cardiovascular care to patients throughout the communities that we serve,” said Blake Gardner, MD, senior medical director of the heart and vascular program at Intermountain Health.

“By having these top-rated programs at hospitals across our state means patients don’t have to travel far to get the best heart care possible, including patients in Ogden and Northern Utah,” he added.

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States.

“Finding new ways to improve heart health is key to better outcomes for patients,” said Dr. Gardner. “I’m really proud to see the dedication of our cardiovascular caregivers at McKay-Dee Hospital and our other hospitals being recognized on a national level.”

To see Premier’s full list of Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospitals for 2025, click here.

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Heart patients in Northern Utah who are experiencing symptoms of heart failure now have access to a minimally invasive life-saving heart procedure that is not only improving lives of patients but saving them.

Cardiologists at Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden are now performing a procedure where they place a tiny clip in the heart to repair a leaky mitral valve that significantly decreases the risk of heart failure patients from having to return to the hospital for more care or even dying.

The mitral valve is one of four valves in the heart that keep blood flowing in the right direction. Each valve has flaps, called leaflets, that open and close once during each heartbeat. If a valve doesn't open or close properly, blood flow through the heart to the body can be reduced, according to Eric Lindley, MD, cardiologist and medical director of cardiovascular services at Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital.

“This is a terrific treatment option for patients who are experiencing this issue,” said Dr. Lindley. “We’re really proud to be able to offer this treatment for patients living in Northern Utah so they can get the best care close to home.”

In studies previously done at Intermountain Health and other major heart centers across the country, researchers have found that the MitraClip device reduces risk for hospitalization by half and deaths by nearly 40 percent, while significantly improving the quality of life of patients with secondary mitral regurgitation – an after-effect of heart failure – whose prognosis is typically poor without treatment.

The MitraClip is a tiny device that is attached to the mitral valve in the heart that repairs the leaking valve. In patients with this condition, the mitral valve has been deformed by the effects of heart failure, which leads to leaks that make the heart work harder to move blood through the body.

Unlike surgery, the MitraClip procedure does not require opening the chest surgically and temporarily stopping the heart, so it’s considered a minimally invasive procedure, said Dr. Lindley.

Instead, interventional cardiologists access the mitral valve through a catheter – a small tube that is guided through a vein in the groin to the heart.  The MitraClip itself is smaller than a dime, which allows it to be placed via catheter. It’s then maneuvered in place – right above the malfunctioning mitral valve.

With ultrasound guidance, the MitraClip is positioned so it can grab the two leaflets of the valve and pull them together. Once that happens, the sides of the valve can open and close normally. This helps to restore normal blood flow through your heart.

About half of people who develop heart failure die within five years of diagnosis, according to the American Heart Association. For those with secondary mitral regurgitation, blood doesn’t flow properly though their bodies, which can plummet their quality of life. The MitraClip procedure is an effective and minimally invasive solution to the problem.

In severe mitral valve regurgitation, the heart must work harder to pump enough blood to the body.  The extra effort causes the left lower heart chamber to get bigger. Untreated, the heart muscle becomes weak. This can cause heart failure.

About half of people who develop heart failure die within five years of diagnosis, according to the American Heart Association.

For those with secondary mitral regurgitation, blood doesn’t flow properly though their bodies, which can plummet their quality of life. The MitraClip procedure is an effective and minimally invasive solution to the problem.

For more information about the MitraClip procedure at Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital, call 801-387-3400.

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