title: Ground zero: building a cardiac surgery program.
abstract: More and more community hospitals are opening cardiovascular surgery programs to provide a broader spectrum of services closer to home. This article leads the reader through one hospital's experience in opening a new heart center and highlights the philosophy, triaging of issues, and staff preparation needed to achieve successful patient outcomes. Our case study can serve as a guide for other hospitals as they take on the challenge of opening new programs.
authors.affiliation: Piedmont Medical Center, Rock Hill, SC, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Earley
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Fenner
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Postlewaite
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Scott
mesh_terms: D002300:Cardiac Care Facilities / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005568:Forms and Records Control; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D010560:Personnel Selection; D011050:Policy Making; D016730:Program Development / Q000379:methods*; D015144:Southeastern United States; D013903:Thoracic Surgery / Q000458:organization & administration*