TEXAS HEART INSTITUTE DEBUTS CLINICAL CARDIOLOGY PRACTICE CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH CENTER WILL HARNESS THE FULL BREADTH OF ITS STORIED HISTORY, USHERING IN NEW ERA WITH THE OPENING OF TEXAS HEART MEDICAL GROUP HOUSTON, TX
Texas Heart Institute (THI) – the internationally lauded research and educational center dedicated to the prevention and care of heart disease – is once again raising the bar with the long-planned official debut of Texas Heart Medical Group (THMG). THMG represents a significant step into the future for the institution, which has played a critical role in major cardiovascular breakthroughs since its founding in 1962 by legendary heart surgeon Dr. Denton Cooley.
When Dr. Cooley established THI nearly 60 years ago, his mission statement for the non-profit at Texas Medical Center was simultaneously simple and bold: namely, reduce the devastating toll of cardiovascular disease through innovative programs in research, education and improved patient care. Texas Heart Institute is now breathing new life into Dr. Cooley’s original vision as the institution readies to open its clinical practice specializing in cardiovascular care with the singular mission to provide the highest-quality medical care in a sophisticated and welcoming patient-oriented atmosphere.
When it begins seeing new and existing patients on October 1, Texas Heart Medical Group will serve as home base for twelve outstanding cardiologists who are also leaders in the subspecialty fields of Cardiac Imaging, Interventional Cardiology, Peripheral Vascular Disease, and Electrophysiology. Texas Heart Medical Group will embody the totality of Texas Heart Institute as a fully integrated clinical cardiology practice encompassing the areas of education, research and direct patient care.
“October 1, 2020 marks an exciting day in the history of the Texas Heart Institute. With the launch of Texas Heart Medical Group, THI will usher in a dynamic new era as it enters into the clinical care arena,” stated Texas Heart Institute Board Chair Eric Wade. He added, “Texas Heart Medical Group will tap into Texas Heart Institute’s longstanding and relentless pursuit of excellence that began with the historic breakthroughs under Dr. Cooley’s leadership and vision. I am confident in saying that he would be proud of and excited for this new chapter in THI’s dramatic story.”
To date, Texas Heart Institute has focused solely on research and education in affiliation with St. Luke’s Episcopal Health (now CHI St. Luke’s Health – Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center). From the outset, Dr. Cooley designed an organizational structure which coordinated care at the THI-affiliated hospital partners. Texas Heart Institute did not directly treat patients under the THI umbrella, though it quickly blossomed into “the most prolific heart surgery center in the United States and possibly the world,” as the iconic surgeon wrote in his own words.
“The leading physicians in the Texas Heart Medical Group who are members of the THI Professional Staff, are eager to blaze a new trail and practice top tier cardiovascular medicine through this clinical group,” emphasized Dr. Emerson Perin, Texas Heart Institute’s Medical Director.
He added, “The founding physicians at THMG have upheld the same standards of excellence set forth by Dr. Cooley, spanning decades of collective experience in the practice of cardiovascular medicine and clinical investigation. In the spirit of the Cooley legacy, we are joining together as a body of clinicians, surgeons and scientists with a unified ethos to take Dr. Cooley’s core mission far into the 21st Century.”
The offices at Texas Heart Medical Group will be housed at St. Luke’s Medical Tower, Suite 2780. THMG’s physicians will begin seeing new patients immediately upon its official launch on Thursday, October 1. Texas Heart Medical Group will be open Monday through Friday and will accept the majority of health insurance plans as well as assignments for Medicare patients.
