News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 18, 2013
MEDIA CONTACT: Stephanie Poyant
Public Information Officer
Southcoast Health System
Office: 508-961-5280
Cell: 774-634-1460
poyants@southcoast.org
www.southcoast.org/news/releases/
Southcoast now offers Cardiology Services in Fairhaven
Cardiologist Philip Formica, MD, joins Southcoast Cardiology
FAIRHAVEN, Mass. — Southcoast® Health System today announced that cardiologist
Philip Formica, MD, has joined Southcoast Cardiology, one of the largest networks in the region
with an experienced team of more than 30 cardiologists from Warwick, R.I. to Wareham.
Dr. Formica will see patients at the new cardiology suite located at the Southcoast Center
for Primary and Specialty Care, 208 Mill Road in Fairhaven. Cardiology services available at the
new location include consultation, stress testing, echocardiography, Holter monitoring, EKG
services, and cardiac CT.
Dr. Formica completed his undergraduate training at Boston College in Boston where he
graduated magna cum laude and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Society. He pursued his
medical education at Boston University School of Medicine in Boston and completed a residency
in internal medicine at New York University Medical Center in Manhattan. He completed his
fellowship in cardiovascular disease at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in
Providence, R.I.
Dr. Formica’s cardiology training includes a heart failure/heart transplant clinical
fellowship at the Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, N.Y. and served as a clinical instructor at
the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University.
Dr. Formica is board certified in internal medicine and board eligible in cardiovascular
disease. He is fluent in Italian and currently resides in East Greenwich, R.I. with his wife.
Dr. Formica is accepting new patients. For an appointment please call 508-973-2207.
About Southcoast Cardiovascular Services
Southcoast is the leader for cardiac services in the region. The Southcoast
Cardiovascular Service program provides a broad spectrum of cardiovascular services locally,
including open heart procedures, cardiac catheterizations, coronary angioplasty and cardiac
implantable devices. Southcoast performs more cardiac catheterizations than any other
community hospital system in Massachusetts, with approximately 60 percent of patients needing
advanced treatment such as coronary artery bypass or angioplasty. Southcoast’s state-of-the-art
Electrophysiology Laboratories at Charlton Memorial Hospital provides diagnostic testing for
cardiac arrhythmias as well as invasive electrophysiology procedures such as arrhythmia
ablations.
Southcoast’s heart program continues to grow with an astounding 30 area cardiologists.
“Our number one priority is to provide well-coordinated, high-quality care to all of our
patients," said Margaret Ferrell, MD, Physician-in-Chief for Cardiac Services. “The success of
the Southcoast heart program is credited to the highly skilled team of cardiologists, surgeons and
health care professionals at our three hospital sites. It is their 24 hours, 7 days a week dedication
and the commitment by Southcoast to invest in the latest technology, equipment and state-of-theart facilities that enables us to rank among the best in the country.”
Southcoast performed the first open heart surgery in Southeastern Massachusetts in April
2002, bringing the lifesaving procedure to a region with the state’s highest incidence of heart
disease. Southcoast was the first of three community hospitals approved by the Massachusetts
Department of Public Health to offer open heart surgery and elective coronary angioplasty at its
Charlton Memorial Hospital site in Fall River.
Southcoast’s cardiac surgery program has brought unprecedented access to advanced
cardiac services to the region and has received exemplary reviews and outstanding patient
satisfaction since its inception including ranking as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for heart
care by Healthgrades®, the nation’s leading, independent source of physician information and
hospital quality ratings. Healthgrades awarded Southcoast its Specialty Excellence Award for
Overall Cardiac Services, Cardiac Surgery and Coronary Interventional Procedures.
“The Healthgrades rankings are an exceptional accomplishment for our cardiac program
and a testament to our physicians, surgeons, nurses and health care providers who are saving lives
every day,” said Laurie Mulgrew, Vice President of Clinical Services for Cardiovascular Care &
Imaging. “Patients who receive their cardiac care at a Southcoast hospital can rest assured they
are receiving their care at one of the top heart hospitals in the U.S.”
The 14th Annual Healthgrades Hospital Quality in America Study analyzes tens of
millions of patients’ outcomes — specifically, mortality and complication rates — at the nation’s
5,000 hospitals. Healthgrades’ 2012 clinical achievements for Southcoast Hospitals included
being a recipient of the Healthgrades Cardiac Care Excellence Award™ for six years in a row and
a recipient of the Healthgrades Cardiac Surgery Excellence Award™.
For more information about Southcoast Cardiovascular Services, visit
www.southcoast.org/heart/.
About Southcoast Center for Primary and Specialty Care
The Southcoast Center for Primary and Specialty Care is two-story, 61,000 square-foot
facility located at 208 Mill Road in Fairhaven, adjacent to Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care.
The facility includes an urgent care center that operates seven days a week walk-in care
and brings together some 40 primary and specialty physicians including specialists in general
surgery, thoracic surgery, colorectal surgery, cardiology, gastroenterology, endocrinology,
nephrology, pulmonology, dermatology and urology.
The new center also includes comprehensive outpatient laboratory, radiology and cardiac
testing services include X-ray, ultrasound, nuclear medicine, bone densitometry/dual energy Xray absorptiometry (DEXA) scanning, electrocardiogram (EKG), Holter monitoring, pulmonary
function testing, and echocardiology.
The Southcoast Pharmacy is located onsite, offering the community a complete inventory
of medications at competitive prices and is staffed by experienced pharmacists and pharmacy
technicians. Over-the-counter medications and personal health care items are also available.
About Southcoast Health System & Southcoast Hospitals Group
Southcoast Health System is a community based health delivery system with multiple
access points, offering an integrated continuum of health services throughout Southeastern
Massachusetts and East Bay, Rhode Island. It includes the three hospitals that make up
Southcoast Hospitals Group — Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke’s Hospital in
New Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham.
Southcoast provides advanced clinical services, such as open heart surgery, angioplasty
and heart rhythm services, comprehensive cancer care, neurosurgery, weight loss surgery,
orthopedic surgery, advanced imaging services and is the only provider of maternity services in
the region.
Southcoast is a not-for-profit charitable organization that depends on the support of the
community to provide services. More information is available online at
www.southcoast.org. Connect to Southcoast through social media
at www.southcoast.org/connect/.
Southcoast® is a registered trademark of Southcoast Health System Inc.
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