Rebecca Angerstein, RN, MSN, CCNS is a Clinical Nurse Specialist and practices at Akron General Medical Center Office. Beki is also Director of Clinical Services for The Heart Group.

Published in ACC Cardiac Care Magazine, Feb. 2006

With the increasing complexity of cardiac care and volume of patients, cardiology practices and cardiologists that have extensive time demands on them, need to develop creative options to provide quality care. Mid-level practitioners (MLP's)--clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners and physician assistants--are well positioned to serve as extensions of physicians and provide timely, patient-centered quality care.

NEOCS' cardiologists and Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistant, are doing just that for their patients in the hospital, as well as the out-patient setting.

NEOCS cares for all types of cardiac patients including those with coronary disease, valvular heart disease, hypertension, dyslipidemia, peripheral vascular disease, arrhythmia and heart failure.

In the hospital, Nurse Practitioners gather data for consultations and will triage patients' problems when the physicians are tied up performing procedures. Following hospitalization, patient follow-up visits are conducted by the NP or PA-C who saw the patient during his or her hospitalization, thus ensuring continuity of care.

For routine office visits, patients alternate between the physician and the NP/PA which enables the physicians to see more new patients. NP visits are longer in length, permitting additional time for education and assessment of social, financial and compliance issues.

Patients and families indicate their pleasure with the time spent and explanation they receive during these MLP visits. NEOCS' combination appears to improve patient care, patient satisfaction, referral satisfaction, and most likely, it prevents hospitalizations because patients and their families have prompt access to service.