Cooperstown — Bassett Medical Center is expanding its digital health capabilities to include cardiovascular clinical services through an initiative with Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Using digital technology, Bassett patients can connect directly with cardiovascular specialists in Manhattan. This collaboration builds on his 90-year partnership between the two organizations.
Dr. Tommy Ibrahim, President and CEO of Bassett, said in a press release: “Bassett is committed to continuously expanding its digital health capabilities into clinical services such as cardiovascular care.”
Doctors in Columbia see Bassett’s patients from their downstate offices and are assisted by nurses in Bassett’s office. This includes physical exams with live video and electronic stethoscopes that allow doctors to remotely listen to heart and lung sounds.
Dr. Ibrahim. Dr. Michael Holmes, Chief of Cardiology, Bassett. Nick Homma, Ph.D., Associate Chief and Chief Medical Officer, Department of Cardiology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Sherrill Gelder Cogan, interim administrative director of Bassett’s cardiovascular service line, is leading the expanding program.
The program, already underway, will be expanded to five days a week, with physicians likely to alternate clinical settings in both Bassett and Columbia.
Bassett Medical Center offers a three-year cardiovascular training program for medical students. Columbia Bassett Cardiac Fellows spend up to two months a year rotating in Columbia specifically to round out their experience with progressive heart failure. Fellows are primarily based in Bassett and have the opportunity to complete a major rotation at the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center.
The Bassett Healthcare Network includes five corporate affiliated hospitals, community-based health centers, school-based health centers, skilled nursing facilities, and other health partners.
