The construction of a new cardiac facility has broken ground in Opelika.
This facility will house Pinnacle Cardiovascular Associates, a partnership established in 2018 that joined together the East Alabama Medical Center, Auburn Cardiovascular Associates, East Alabama Heart and Vascular and Valley Cardiology.
“[The] partnership was formed to coordinate cardiovascular care in our region, to improve efficiencies, increase and encourage expertise in all areas of adult cardiac care and provide a platform for growth that will serve our fast-growing region well in the years to come,” said Michael Williams, a cardiologist with Pinnacle Cardiovascular.
This facility will be located at 2601 Village Professional Dr. in Village Professional Park near the East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika.
The building is expected to be completed in summer 2020 and will contain 24 exam rooms.
Several rooms will incorporate nuclear medicine technologies, including magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography exams, in addition to ultrasound and echo imaging for patient diagnosis and care, said Chris Clark, EAMC vice president of clinical services.
Other technological innovations will also be incorporated into this new facility.
“We plan to use EAMC’s latest kiosk check in system, which will decrease the registration time for patients and also allow patients to check-in from their mobile device,” Clark said. “Pinnacle will also be implementing a new electronic medical record that will integrate with the hospital’s EMR (electronic medical records) system, giving Pinnacle’s cardiologists instant access to the patient’s complete medical record for any hospital stays, emergency room visits or procedures at EAMC.”
Pinnacle has also added four cardiologists to the community in the past year. The construction of this facility will allow for the recruiting of additional cardiologists in the future, Clark said.
The construction of this facility will not disrupt the care of those currently seeking treatment with Pinnacle.
“While Pinnacle Cardiovascular Associates is building this new facility, the physicians will continue to see patients in their outreach clinics located in Tallassee, Tuskegee, Union Springs, Eufaula, Valley, Dadeville and Roanoke,” Clark said.
The outreach clinics will continue to operate, and the new facility will provide patients with access to outpatient care in a convenient location.
“This new medical facility will provide outstanding healthcare for citizens of Lee and surrounding counties,” said Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller.
Fuller said they are delighted to welcome Pinnacle to their community.
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