Gwinnett Medical Center has submitted a filing with the state Department of Community Health addressing objections that may prevent the hospital from establishing an open-heart surgery program.
The filing asks Dr. Rhonda Medows, the department's commissioner, to reinstate her initial decision in June 2008 to grant a certificate of need to allow the program. That decision was blocked when Piedmont Hospital, Emory University Hospital and Emory Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta filed an appeal.
"We believe the department's original approval of an open-heart program at GMC was the correct decision," said Phil Wolfe, president and CEO of Gwinnett Medical Center.
The Atlanta hospitals say such a program could raise overall health and medical costs through an unnecessary duplication of services, and would hurt advanced cardiac programs already in operation.
Gwinnett hospital officials contend the issue is improved access to advanced cardiac treatment in a county of nearly 800,000 residents. Heart attack victims, they said, have a limited window for treatment. Transporting patients through 24 miles of traffic to another facility threatens the quality of care, they argue. The hospital further argues that more than 8,000 patients are treated annually for cardiac-related issues at its Lawrenceville emergency department. Of those, 20 percent are admitted.
A final from Medows is expected by July 17.
