A new $17 million, 14,400-square-foot heart rhythm center is coming to Baptist Medical Center in Jacksonville, Fla. The new facility will be part of the medical center's freestanding heart hospital.
The center will focus on treating atrial fibrillation and other heart rhythm abnormalities. It will feature staff stations, support stations, three cardiac electrophysiology labs, 10 patient rooms and a family lounge, according to a Sept. 30 news release.
"The new Heart Rhythm Center is a comprehensive, hospital-based facility that will offer patients a one-stop destination for [electrophysiology] procedures including catheter-based ablations and implanting defibrillators, pacemakers and other devices," said Matthew McKillop, MD, clinical cardiac electrophysiologist and medical director of the electrophysiology program at Baptist Heart Hospital, part of Baptist Medical Center. "All preoperative, procedure and postoperative care, including overnight stays if needed, will be performed in this state-of-the-art center and will allow patients to stay in this community for the care they need."
Baptist Health is recruiting additional staff to join the center, including nurses, electrophysiology techs and certified nursing assistants.
Construction of the facility will start in October and is slated to be complete in January 2023.