Physician tells Georgia House committee Office of Cardiac Care is underfunded and urges support for rural hospital certification

A physician told the Georgia House Health Committee that Georgia’s Office of Cardiac Care has helped lower deaths from time-sensitive cardiac emergencies but lacks funding to expand coverage to smaller, rural hospitals.

The presenter said the state has organized hospitals into level 1, 2 and 3 centers, with 19 level 1 hospitals, 19 level 2 hospitals and 10 level 3 hospitals; many hospitals are still pending certification. The presenter described protocols such as out-of-hospital resuscitation, targeted temperature management and use of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) for select patients, and said those protocols, combined with pre-hospital activation, have reduced mortality for STEMI, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and cardiogenic shock.

Why it matters: The presenter argued that cardiac disease is the single largest cause of death in the state and nationwide and that maternal mortality after childbirth is driven in large part by cardiovascular causes. The presenter asked the committee to consider fiscal support for the Office of Cardiac Care so more rural hospitals could be certified and participate in the Emergency Cardiac Care network.

Key details: The presenter said there are about 3,500 STEMI hospitalizations and more than 5,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Georgia annually. He said almost half of Georgia hospitals will be certified in the next 12–18 months but that many level 3 (rural) hospitals remain uncertified or pending review. The presenter contrasted funding levels for programs: roughly $500,000 for cardiac care centers, $3 million for the Coverdell stroke program, and tens of millions for trauma programs, and said cardiac funding is small relative to cardiac mortality.

On maternal mortality, the presenter said that, of maternal deaths within a year of delivery, 53 percent are attributable to cardiovascular problems and that, when including conditions such as hypertension and pulmonary embolism, that share can rise to as much as about 60–63 percent. Committee members pressed for clarity about those percentages and the base counts; one lawmaker noted the state sees roughly 35–40 maternal deaths per year and emphasized the presenter’s percentages refer to the share of maternal deaths attributable to cardiovascular causes rather than to the share of mothers who die.

Committee discussion and context: Members noted workforce and access problems in rural areas, including shortages of cardiologists. One member said telehealth and phone-app programs are being piloted to help rural clinicians access cardiology input. Committee members thanked the presenter and said they would explore funding options; no formal committee action was recorded during this presentation.

The presenter closed by asking lawmakers for fiscal support to encourage rural hospitals to join the Emergency Cardiac Care network and to ensure 24/7 capacity where needed.