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. ### PHOTO ATTACHED