Cardiologist Pumps Dreams Into Program at St. Mary?s

Not long ago, open-heart surgery patients had to travel to Little Rock or Tulsa. For the past several years, the procedure has been available in Washington County, but that’s still not close enough for Jeffrey Werner, cardiologist and vice president of cardiovascular services at Mercy Health System Inc. in Rogers.

Anyone who has traveled between Bella Vista and Springdale should understand why critical heart care is needed, he said. Every minute that a heart valve is closed causes more damage to the heart.

“The sooner you get emergency heart care the better your chances,” Werner said.

A secondary reason for closer heart services is the convenience of family members wanting to remain close to the patient.

St. Mary’s Hospital began offering open heart surgery last year, and the opportunity to start the program drew Werner to Rogers two years ago. He’d spent 30 years as a cardiologist in Seattle, Wash., and is one of 16 original investigators in the development of the coronary artery stent.

The next thing on the horizon for heart care, Werner predicted, is likely to be genetic testing that might allow doctors to treat cells that could later cause heart disease.

“It’s definitely going to happen. Ten years from now, maybe sooner,” he said.

The first year of open heart surgery at St. Mary’s has been a success, and Werner wants to build on that, making progress for heart care patients in Benton County every year.

He’s also leading the hospital to take on “an educational bent.” Werner is an adjunct professor of medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. He spends one day a month there making rounds with the students, discussing cases and helping with procedures.

“It’s intellectually stimulating, keeps my brain up,” he noted.

Werner wants to bring that stimulation to St. Mary’s. He has initiated a program to bring a cardiology residency program at St. Mary’s for UAMS students.

“It gives them some real world experience and keeps everybody sharper,” Werner said.

A two-day seminar held in May was the first of what Werner hopes will be an annual event. It brought together the UAMS and the St. Mary’s cardiovascular programs with local primary care physicians to update them on care options available for heart patients.

Primary care is such a broad field, it’s hard to keep up with the evolving specialties, Werner said, adding that continuing education is very important for doctors.

“I don’t think physicians should get their education from drug reps,” he said.

The seminar also brings a dose of real medicine to the academic types at UAMS, he added.

Research, education and interaction with other health care providers help Werner stay on his toes. More recently, he has helped make some decisions about the new hospital St. Mary’s plans to build along Interstate 540 in south Rogers.

He doesn’t care what it looks like, but wants it to be efficient, as paperless as possible, and appreciative of patient services.

At 57, with his kids grown, Werner said he’s glad to be settled in Benton County. He’s also happy to be part of the Mercy Health team.

“Every insitution has its own character,” Werner said. “We think there are things about this hospital that are very special.”

It’s a non-profit facility that values education and training, and supports care for the poor, he said.

“There’s also a lot of value among the staff,” he said. “There’s a certain mental set about why we’re here.”