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Charles A Bush, Craig McMillen and Richard Davis
American Heart Journal Volume 7 No.1

The Ohio State University (OSU) Richard M Ross Heart Hospital opened in November 2004 as one of the nation's first fully integrated academic hospitals dedicated to comprehensive cardiovascular patient care. This specialty hospital features a conceptually unique, easily modifiable design that allows the integration of medical, surgical, and procedural cardiovascular staff and physicians to provide seamless care within a single facility. The multidisciplinary team approach ensures quality and a personalized patient experience at the Ross Heart Hospital.

Nearly five years after completion, the Ross Heart Hospital facility, which is still only one of a few academic hospitals specializing in cardiovascular care, continues to undergo remarkable facility and clinical growth. The design concepts, organizational structure, and operational models, which were theoretical and highly questioned in the planning stages, have proved to be exceedingly effective in providing care to patients with cardiovascular disease.

The vision and strategic planning that went into the design of the Ross Heart Hospital continue to promote the type of care that validates the institutional commitment to the patient with cardiovascular disease. The on-campus location allows full physical plant and organizational and operational integration with the Dorothy M Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, the OSU College of Medicine and Public Health, and the OSU Hospitals. As a result, the Ross Heart Hospital is uniquely positioned to continue its world-class leadership in advanced cardiovascular research and education, as well as in patient care.

Only months after opening, the Ross Heart Hospital was featured in the Spring 2005 American Heart Hospital Journal spotlight series. A critical piece of the vision statement included in the article recognized that in order to improve people's lives and be a leader in cardiovascular care, the facility is but one part of the requirements. Investment in recruitment and retaining a highly trained, expert care team dedicated to service excellence is equally, if not more important.¹ The RossHeart Hospital's academic setting provides instant access both to the latest evidence-based clinical research and to state-of-the-art technology advances in cardiovascular care, which consistently attracts highly qualified, cohesive cardiovascular provider care team members.

Since its opening, the OSU Richard M Ross Heart Hospital has hosted representatives and visitors from over 200 hospitals and healthcare organizations from 17 countries who have come to see 'The Ross' first-hand to assist in their institutional planning. However, the measure of long-term success is not based solely on external curiosity or recognition, but ultimately on the continued evaluation of whether the ever-changing demand for cardiovascular patient care is being met. With an estimated 80,000,000 American adults (one in three) having one or more type of cardiovascular disease, the need for effective, highly efficient care for patients with cardiovascular disease is clear.²

Several goals identified by the OSU Heart Hospital Planning Committee and the OSU Medical Center leadership as measures of overall performance before the construction of the Ross Heart Hospital remain intact today and serve as performance metrics for the hospital.

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