Cardiovascular Consultants expands staff, services

A doctor who grew up along the Delaware Bay has returned to the area to serve the people of the Cape Region.

Dr. Rob Myers grew up in Delaware and completed his residency at Christiana Hospital where he practiced cardiology and internal medicine. He spent his college years in Philadelphia at Jefferson Medical College, but he knew he wanted to return to the Cape Region to practice.

"I grew up about 30 miles north of here in North Bowers Beach, and I came here frequently in my youth," said Myers. "My wife, our children, and I have vacationed here frequently in the more recent years, and we also spent a month living here during my training, while I was doing a clinical rotation. We always felt the community was so warm and welcoming, so when we had an opportunity to come here on a permanent basis, it was an easy choice."

Before settling in to a career practicing medicine, Myers pitched in the minor leagues for both the Baltimore Orioles and Minnesota Twins. He and his wife, Alison, and their four children now reside in Lewes.

Myers started at Cardiovascular Consultants of Southern Delaware on Kings Highway outside Lewes in July. His training as an interventional cardiologist allows him to perform cardiac surgeries, including putting in stents, said Bill Martin of the cardiovascular practice, located behind Prudential Gallo.

Interventional cardiologists have all the same training in general cardiology as other cardiologists, but they have an additional year or two of training dedicated to performing angioplasty, also known as balloon dilation, and stenting in the coronary arteries, Myers said.

"In some cases, we also receive training performing angioplasty and stenting in arteries in other areas of the body. In my case, in addition to the coronaries, I treat blockages in the arteries to the kidneys, arms and legs," he said.

Myers, 35, did his undergraduate work at University of Delaware, followed by four years of medical school and three years of an internal medicine residency. He also did a three-year general cardiology fellowship and a one-year interventional cardiology specialty fellowship at Christiana Hospital.

"I've been very impressed with the medical community here," said Myers. "The facilities and technology available here are state of the art. The care is first rate and very comparable to what is provided at the large institutions where I have been in the past."

When Cardiovascular Consultants split from Christiana Hospital to form a separate practice, the entire staff stayed to support the doctors. Martin came in as the practice administrator and Myers later joined because he was impressed with the group, which he said retained all of its patients after the split. The practice maintains a close relationship with Beebe Medical Center, where the doctors perform all their procedures.

"The staff in our office and at the hospital are excellent, and perhaps most importantly, cordial and pleasant," said Myers. "This is a great place to practice medicine because the community is tight-knit, and it is nice to be able to provide care to our neighbors."

In today's society, both Myers and Martin said it is important for doctors to work closely with patients and other medical professionals to provide the most complete care possible.

"With declining reimbursements for each visit and procedure, there is always pressure to shorten visits and spend less time with patients," said Martin. "Cardiovascular Consultants has taken a much different approach in that they are increasing the amount of technical staff who support the doctors by doing more pre- and post-visit work. So, the doctors are able to spend more quality time with each patient."

Martin said the practice also guarantees patients can be scheduled within 24 hours for testing or visits.

These were big reasons why Myers chose to join Cardiovascular Consultants.

"Coming home to Delaware has been great. I have had more opportunity to see my family including by parents, brothers, sister-in-laws, nieces and nephews, as well as friends," Myers said. "My kids have really enjoyed the beach at Lewes and going to the Rehoboth Boardwalk, especially Funland. My wife and I love the hometown feel of Lewes, and we both have taken advantage of the nearby Club Fitness to keep in shape."

Cardiovascular Consultants has four other doctors, with Dr. Heather Raff expected to start in November. The practice is also opening a new office in Georgetown off Route 113, with the grand opening planned for later this year.

Martin said the draw of the practice is the team atmosphere that exists among the staff and the emphasis on efficient, quality care for each patient.

"In my 25 years of practice management, I’ve never seen stronger patient satisfaction surveys from a group. Our staff and doctors have worked very hard to earn the trust of each of our patients," said Martin. "Dr. Myers has been a great addition to our team of doctors and professionals and his patients have been exceptionally pleased with his care."

* Cardiac consultation and treatment

* Holter and event monitors

* Stress testing, both echocardiography and nuclear

* Electrophysiology studies, ablations, pacemakers & implantable defibrillators

* Full time pacer clinic

* Segmental pressures, peripheral studies

* Ultrasounds of the aortic abdominal, carotid and renal arteries

* Coumadin management practice

* Cardiac catheterization, cardiac intervention with stents and angioplasty

* Peripheral vascular catheterization, intervention with stents and limb salvage procedures

For more information, visit www.cvcde.com or call 302-645-1233.