Are there operations that are better performed at large, university centers rather than locally at the Heart Institute?
The Heart Institute’s surgeons are all well-trained from leading institutions, and are also very involved in continuing medical education. Most patients’ needs can be met at the Heart Institute, but some very unusual problems are better dealt with elsewhere. In those few cases, most are referred to the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and occasionally to the heart centers in Rochester and Albany. The Heart Institute’s surgeons pride themselves in their honesty in relation to what they and the Institute are capable of. If it is felt that the patient is best off elsewhere, they help arrange a referral to the specific surgeon that will be best able to help.
