Inova, Virginia Heart Extend Affiliation to Better Serve Heart Patients

Inova Health System is pleased to announce that we are extending our long-standing relationship with Virginia Heart to expand access and improve quality of care and service for patients throughout the area.

National studies have repeatedly shown that better alignment produces higher value care, results in better outcomes, and increases patient satisfaction, all of which are important priorities for Virginia Heart and Inova. Through a new long-term comprehensive services agreement, Virginia Heart with its 50 physicians, 25 advanced practice providers, 10 office locations and over 155,000 patient visits per year serving four of the Inova hospitals will become more closely integrated with Inova and Inova Heart and Vascular Institute (IHVI). This enhanced integration will allow Inova and Virginia Heart to continue to provide quality cardiovascular services for the region.

This new chapter of the affiliation will build on the existing strong relationship between IHVI and Virginia Heart and bring closer alignment of facilities and services. The alliance will result in improved coordination on strategic initiatives and will facilitate collaboration on research, education, and innovative approaches to the treatment and management of patients with cardiovascular disease. In addition, newly developed and shared quality metrics and cost containment measures will support the delivery of more cost-effective higher value care.

“Virginia Heart and Inova are deeply committed to excellence in patient care,” Stephen Motew, MD, MHA, Inova Chief, Clinical Enterprise noted, “and that makes this agreement a natural fit. It provides an outstanding platform for the development of future innovative approaches to care to better serve our community.”

A very important and valuable aspect of this affiliation is the potential to enhance the level of care by providing a seamless and more positive patient experience.

“We are excited about this long-term commitment to closer alignment which opens the door to an even more collaborative approach to delivering cardiovascular care across the region,” according to Warren Levy, MD, FACC, President & Chief Medical Officer of Virginia Heart. “This brings us onto the same electronic medical record and patient facing information system as Inova and that will facilitate communication and coordination of care. Most importantly, it will improve access to comprehensive high quality care to our communities.”

“I’m glad that IHVI and VA Heart will move forward together in the coming years,” Christopher O’Connor, MD, MACC, President of IHVI noted. “This is an important collaboration for IHVI and will expand the availability of cardiology services across the Northern Virginia area and facilitate the continued expansion of access to sub-specialized cardiac care.”