St. Luke’s Health-Memorial Lufkin remains tops in heart care excellence

“I am honored to lead our cardiovascular service line team for achieving the highest recognition bestowed upon by the American Association of Cardiology, which is the HeartCARE Center National Distinction of Excellence for the fifth consecutive year,” said Ravinder Bachireddy, MD, FACC, chief of cardiology at St. Luke’s Health-Memorial and ACC Cardiovascular Champion.

The national award is based on ACC guidelines, quality initiatives and clinical best practices, through successful collaboration of the cardiologists, emergency department, CATH lab team, cardiac rehab, nursing staff, health care professionals and administration, according to Bachireddy.

“This ACC guideline-based coordination of care leads to more effective and efficient disease control with improved patient outcomes,” he said.

Bachireddy has spent the last 40 years in pursuit of heart care excellence for East Texas.

Since 2018, SLHM has been a HeartCARE Center National Distinction of Excellence as designated by the American Association of Cardiology — then only the second hospital in Texas and the ninth in the nation to receive this distinction.

“Our team of physicians, nurses and medical professionals continue to provide exemplary care to our patients,’’ said Musa Khan, MD, FACC, interventional cardiologist and director of cardiac catheterization laboratories at St. Luke’s Health-Memorial Lufkin. ‘‘They work diligently to coordinate care in the most effective and efficient ways possible. We have long strived to transform cardiovascular care in Deep East Texas and this recognition is a testament to the hard work and commitment of our team.”

During the same inaugural year, St. Luke’s Health-Memorial Lufkin also received the Pioneer Award, which honors hospitals that achieve this designation during the first year of existence and recognized them as “pioneers” in advancing the cause of sustainable quality improvement.

“I am so thankful and appreciative of the team that we have at St. Luke’s Health-Memorial and the work that they do every single day to take care of the people here across East Texas,” said Monte Bostwick, market president and CEO.

“The partnerships that we’ve developed across the board from physicians and staff, as well as local groups and organizations help make us stronger in order to better serve this community,’’ he said. ‘‘For the people of East Texas, we appreciate the work that you do every day. We are here to partner with you and take care of you from a health care perspective. That is our mission and we are excited to be here for you.”