BUTTE — A cardiac care clinic located in Butte will be closing, leaving almost 3,000 patients without a provider. Now, the chief medical officer for Intermountain Healthcare St. James Hospital says there is a plan to absorb those patients.
"We are working with Providence on a transition plan to ensure that patients who want to stay local to Butte to receive their cardiac care have the capability," says Dr. Elizabeth Buisker, Chief Medical Officer for Intermountain Health.
Recently, Providence Heart Institute began sending letters notifying patients that their clinic will close in July. Dr. Elizabeth Buisker, the chief medical officer for Butte’s Intermountain Healthcare, says she recognizes the anxiety this might bring to patients.
Curious about the future of cardiac care in Butte? Watch the video to see how Intermountain Healthcare plans to support affected patients
"We want the community to know that Intermountain Health has three well-established, compassionate, and talented cardiologists who are here and ready to help take care of the Butte community," says
Dr. Buisker.
In an emotional interview, Providence Heart Institute's Dr. Bill Hull told MTN he is unsure what prompted the closure, but rumors that he will retire are not true.
"I could retire. I don’t want to cause I love, and I have fun doing what I want to do. So, I’m not going to retire. I’m going to be around doing something not too far away from here, I think," says Dr. Hull.
Dr. Hull is an interventional cardiologist. He is one of just two other doctors in Montana who work within a specific discipline that saves patients from losing limbs due to heart conditions.
"We do a lot of work below the knee in very, very small arteries, and it’s challenging and time-consuming. It takes a lot of patience," says Dr. Hull.
He likens his work to tying flies used for fly fishing. Dr. Hull says the work is even more rewarding than fly-tying.
"We’ll actually be utilizing our interventional radiologist to help provide that service to patients. So, while it won’t be a cardiologist, these are also well-trained physicians in this type of medical treatment plan," says Dr. Buisker.
She says Butte’s heart team can also rely on their Billings network that is comprised of cardiothoracic surgeons, vascular surgeons, general cardiologists, interventional cardiologists, and electrophysiologists.
