A NEW BEAT While a decade ago it was common to see new heart centers delivered that were focused mainly on cardiology, hospital systems today are enlisting architecture firms to build facilities capable of housing more comprehensive interventional procedures or heart and vascular (and sometimes even neurovascular) offerings. "Progressive health leaders are heading to a clinical view that's more holistic and far less siloed," says David Jaeger, principal and healthcare design studio director at HED (Southfield, Mich.). "Patients are and will continue to be getting more acute with complex issues; treating them and all their issues requires significant caregiver coordination." For proof, look no further than a recent HED project, West Virginia University (WVU) Health System's new 10-story addition at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, W.Va., which opened in phases in 2017. The facility is the result of leaders at WVU deciding to change course after construction had begun on a women's and children's tower on the site to instead provide a one-stop shop for cardiac care there. The goal was to bring together its previously disparate services while also ramping up procedural offerings. Fueled by technological advancements and patient demand, more healthcare organizations are seeking to expand their cardiac care capabilities and facilities BY A NNE DINA RDO FEBRUARY 2019 39