According to the recent news, the Maui Memorial Medical Center (MMMC) heart program is fast growing to become one of the largest in Hawaii. The Center performed their first angioplasty at the beginning of the year, and now their staff includes two new interventional cardiologists. They expect to perform as many as 200 angioplasties by the end of the year. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the medical term, its purpose is to clear arteries with blockage, most commonly the coronary arteries (arteries in the heart).

The new interventional cardiologists are only new to the Medical Center, not to the procedure. They are Drs. Colin Lee and Joseph Chambers, and each of them have over 20 years of experience in angioplasty, having treated thousands of mainland patients before joining the cardiology and cardiovascular team of physicians at the MMMC. They spent a full eight weeks meeting with staff and orienting medical personnel to the procedure. It’s wonderfully reassuring that while the procedure is new to Maui, it is being performed by medical veterans.

Around 400 cardiovascular cases have been transferred off-island every year for the past few years because, until now, the MMMC could not provide acute interventional care like angioplasty. What a major stride for Maui’s medical self-sufficiency, especially considering that the medivac expense costs about $18,000 per patient. Angioplasty is covered by most medical insurance plans, so things are looking better and better for Maui residents with heart issues.

Maui Memorial’s Heart Brain and Vascular Center released an announcement about this development, saying that, “The center is poised to become one of the largest and most comprehensive heart programs in the state.” And Maui Memorial Chief Executive Officer Wesley Lo explained that his office has already begun contacting Hawaii’s major health insurers to inform them of the new service.

If you have been looking at Maui real estate but were concerned about moving here because of medical concerns involving heart problems, hopefully your concerns have been eased by this wonderful development. If you are looking for the right assistance with your search, you can learn more about us on our Maui luxury property specialists page. If you’d rather find real estate based on your own criteria, try the Maui real estate search tool. If you need any assistance, you’ll find our contact information at the bottom of the page. Mahalo!