The UCSF-John Muir Health Jean and Ken Hofmann Cancer Center at the Behring Pavilion is now open. LEARN MORE >
Walnut Creek, Calif. (February 3, 2016) – Contra Costa Cardiology Medical Group, East Bay Cardiology Medical Group, and Christopher Swan, M.D., are joining John Muir Health’s medical foundation. They bring to 23 the number of cardiologists who have joined the foundation since 2013. John Muir Health's Physician Network, which consists of the John Muir Medical Group and Muir Medical Group, IPA, currently provides services to patients through more than 1,000 independent and foundation-based physicians.
“We’re very pleased that these talented local physicians have chosen to join a number of other outstanding physicians who are more closely aligned with John Muir Health to serve patients in our community,” said Cal Knight, president and CEO of John Muir Health. “We remain committed to a mixed-model physician network where independent physicians continue to be welcome and those who prefer being part of an integrated medical group have a local, community-based option. Our cardiology services continue to grow and our physicians and care teams are delivering exceptional care and results for our patients.”
Contra Costa Cardiology Medical Group, with offices in Concord and Brentwood, has been serving the cardiovascular needs of Contra Costa and surrounding counties for more than 20 years. The group has six board certified cardiologists, including Paul McWhirter M.D., Arie Van Gemeren M.D., Agustin Argenal M.D., Patrick Kavanaugh M.D., Howard K. Min M.D., and Wayland Lim M.D. They specialize in interventional cardiology, non-invasive cardiology, cardiac imaging, peripheral vascular disease and congestive heart failure.
“Our practice has grown substantially through the years as we’ve added more physicians and services, but our number one priority remains the same: taking great care of our patients,” said Dr. McWhirter. “We’ve had a long and positive association with John Muir Health, which shares our passion for exceptional patient care. When we decided to join a medical foundation, our clear preference was John Muir Health.”
East Bay Cardiology Medical Group, with offices in San Pablo, Vallejo and San Ramon, has been serving the community since 1994. Dinesh M. Thakur M.D., Richard S. Stern M.D., Stephen B. Arnold M.D., and David S. Weiland M.D. are board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, interventional cardiology, and nuclear cardiology, and are certified in pacemakers and defibrillators as well. They specialize in interventional cardiology, non-invasive cardiology, cardiac imaging, peripheral vascular disease and congestive heart failure.
“John Muir Health is a regional leader in cardiac care and we found the right partner now and for the future,” said Dr. Thakur. “We’re excited to provide access to John Muir Health’s Cardiovascular Institute for our patients and to collaborate with our new colleagues on expansion of the health system’s cardiovascular services. ”
Christopher Swan. M.D., a cardiac electrophysiologist, is also joining John Muir Health’s medical foundation. Dr. Swan graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, before completing his residency in internal medicine at UCSF. He completed fellowships in cardiology and cardiac electrophysiology at Duke University and an additional fellowship in cardiac electrophysiology at Stanford Hospital.
“I’m looking forward to joining John Muir Health,” said Dr. Swan. “This is a great opportunity for me to be part of a growing health system with an outstanding reputation for quality patient care.”
“Growing our medical foundation cardiology group was facilitated by the welcoming attitude of our existing member physicians and their shared vision for the continued excellence of the cardiology services delivered at John Muir Health,” said Mike Thomas, president and CAO of John Muir Medical Center, Concord. “We are fortunate have a very skilled team of foundation and independent cardiologists, and a talented staff who work together to provide the best possible care and experience for our patients.”
John Muir Health offers a full spectrum of cardiovascular services that span both its Walnut Creek and Concord campuses, with physicians located throughout Contra Costa, eastern Alameda and southern Solano counties. The health system’s cardiovascular programs and expert medical staff have earned numerous awards, including the highest level of accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers, recognition from the American Heart Association and designation as STEMI Receiving Centers for severe heart attack patients.
Many of John Muir Health’s cardiovascular services are housed in the Cardiovascular Institute at John Muir Medical Center, Concord, which features five cardiac catheterization suites, 16 pre-operative and recovery beds, a dedicated 12-bed cardiovascular ICU (with 24 hour, real-time audio and video monitoring of patients) and 49 monitored telemetry beds.