Kingman, AZ, May 10, 2019- Kingman Regional Medical Center (KRMC) announced today that it will no longer perform open-heart procedures, effective the end of June. Other advanced interventional heart procedures and thoracic (lung) procedures performed by cardiologists and thoracic surgeons will continue to be offered to KRMC patients.

In July of 2009, KRMC received licensure from the State of Arizona to provide open-heart procedures. Over the years, it has taken significant hospital resources to maintain the program’s viability— while serving only a relatively small number of people.

According to KRMC CEO, Brian Turney, “We were eager to offer this advanced capability to our community, so the decision to discontinue was extremely difficult. However, it just isn’t sustainable at this time.”

In determining whether to continue performing open-heart procedures, hospital officials reviewed multiple factors, including patient volumes, the complexity of patient conditions, clinical performance, and financial operations.

Additionally, KRMC officials considered emerging trends in the healthcare industry. New medical advances that involve less-invasive surgical procedures are starting to impact the demand for open-heart surgery. However, at this time, these newer procedures are highly-sophisticated and require the expertise of specially-trained physicians.

“We came to the realization that to produce the results our patients deserve, even more human and financial resources were needed for the program. This, in turn, would jeopardize necessary investment in other important medical service linesthat can ultimately benefit more people,” Turney said.

He added that hospital officials will “reexamine the service in the future to evaluate if changes in community demographics or industry trends paint a different picture.”

In the meantime, local patients who require open-heart procedures will be referred to appropriate providers in the region depending on their individual clinical needs. Heart patients are urged to talk with their cardiologist to evaluate their options.

About Kingman Regional Medical Center

(KRMC) is a 235-bed multi-campus health care system in Kingman, Arizona that employs over 1,900 employees, 150 volunteers, and 270 physicians/allied health professionals. KRMC is the largest provider of health and wellness services in northwestern Arizona. It is home to an advanced imaging center, cancer center, cardiovascular center, rehabilitation and balance center, wound care center, sleep disorders center, acute rehabilitation specialty hospital, primary and specialty care clinics, hospice home, and beautiful wellness center. KRMC is also a teaching hospital offering residencies in emergency medicine and family medicine and a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network. The hospital received the Arizona Innovation Award for its efforts to proactively enhance healthcare in a rural community. The hospital’s vision is to provide the region’s best clinical care and patient service through an environment that fosters respect for others and pride in performance. For more information visit www.azkrmc.com.