Integrated Healthcare Associates of Ann Arbor PC is preparing to add a cardiology practice to the IHA sprawling roster of health services.

When Cardiology Consultants opens in January at IHA’s Milan Medical Center in Milan, it will become Washtenaw County’s first new cardiology practice since the 1980s, cardiologist Stephen Rosenblum said.

Stephen Rosenblum

Rosenblum will lead Cardiology Consultants, which he said plans to employ at least eight people. A founding partner of Michigan Heart PC, Rosenblum said Cardiology Consultants would supplement existing local cardiology facilities by focusing on preventive care rather than emergency care.

“A lot of what I’ve done the last few decades is met helicopters,” Rosenblum said. “My job has been to stop the heart attack by doing emergency procedures. I’ve evolved to the point where I’m much more interested in preventing those episodes if possible.”

Cardiology is the latest focus for IHA, which started as a primary-care organization, but has expanded to include such specialties as neurology, mental health, gynecology, pediatrics and nutrition.

Specializing in cardiology inches IHA one step closer to being a one-stop shop for health care, IHA PC President Mary Durfee said.

“Over the last couple years as we’ve been adding specialties, we’ve primarily looked for individuals who share our vision of a coordinated approach to health care,” Durfee said. “(We) feel being involved in (more specialties) will really help us achieve that mission of better coordination of care.”

The goal for Cardiology Consultants, Rosenblum said, is to work with IHA’s 150 physicians and plug into its electronic medical records system to prevent heart problems. The practice will focus on non-invasive testing of adult patients.

“The community already has two excellent cardiovascular programs associated with hospitals, at (St. Joseph Mercy Health System) and the University of Michigan,” Rosenblum said. “We feel there is a need to concentrate on the care of the patient when they’re not in crisis.

“My vision is to create an out-patient practice in which we concentrate on tight coordination of care between us and primary-care physicians, both inside and outside of IHA.”

Durfee declined to say how much the organization has invested in Cardiology Consultants. IHA has 30 office locations and about 700 support staff members among Washtenaw, Livingston, Lenawee and Wayne counties.

“Whenever we launch a new program, it’s a significant investment financially,” Durfee said. “It’s also an investment in building a shared vision of how to best care for patients. To us, that investment in resources is well worth the outcome.”

While Rosenblum said he couldn’t estimate how many patients Cardiology Consultants would see during its first year, he added, “I think we’re going to be very busy, very quickly. I think we’re going to need to recruit a few more people in order to make this work.”

James Briggs is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com.