New England Endovascular Center enhances patient care in the Valley

May 3, 2018 | Debbie Gardner
debbieg@thereminder.com

Reminder Publications photo.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – Passion and purpose are what motivated Dr. S. Lowell Kahn to open New England Endovascular Center (NEEC) on Ashley Avenue in June of 2017 – a passion for providing the latest, most effective minimally invasive treatments possible for a wide array of conditions in a more relaxed, patient-centered atmosphere.

Kahn explained that the term “endovascular” in his center’s title refers to treatments and procedures that involve the internal vessels in the body – from the insertion of ports for chemotherapy or kidney dialysis to the placement of filters to prevent blood clots to biopsy procedures for various organs and vessels.  

Endovascular procedures also encompass such areas as the treatment of conditions of peripheral artery disease and aneurism repairs. In addition, his center specializes in the removal of uterine fibroids, bone biopsies, treatment of certain spinal conditions, and other outpatient procedures that involve interventional radiology (IR). Kahn specializes in treating the hard-to-heal wounds of diabetic and vascular patients facing amputations. Most patients, he added, are seen as referrals from local physicians, and the center accepts most insurance plans.

Board certified and trained in the field of Vascular and Interventional Radiology – which uses various imaging techniques to guide nearly 100 different types of surgical procedures – Kahn is a nationally recognized expert in his field and a highly respected fellow of the Society of Interventional Radiology. He’s also published numerous peer reviewed articles and texts about his specialty, and served as an assistant professor of vascular surgery at the Tufts University School of Medicine at Baystate Medical Center from the time he and his family relocated to Western Massachusetts in 2011 until 2016.

Nevertheless, Kahn said opening his own outpatient surgery facility  – the subject of “many a dinnertime conversation” with his wife Carrie, a clinical psychologist and member of the NEEC staff – was a “dream” for many years.

“It’s a little bit scary when you go out of your comfort zone, which is the hospital, and do this, “ Kahn said. “But what gives me so much satisfaction in doing this is part of seeing the benefits to patients.”

Kahn said the growth of outpatient surgery centers such as NEEC is reflective of the trend toward less invasive surgery procedures both in the field of IR and other fields, including vascular surgery, cardiology, orthopedic and general surgery.

“Everything is moving toward minimally invasive and the reason is simple – you can lower the risk and in many cases, get superior outcome,” he said. “There’s a lot to be said for patient comfort, and [outpatient procedures] is just where technology is driving us towards.”

The other benefit of operating a privately run outpatient center is the ability to “deliver healthcare the way I think healthcare should be delivered,” Kahn said, which to him means putting the patient first.

“You can set your own culture,” Kahn said. “”When you are at a large hospital, the culture is set for you. At our center here, I would describe our culture as family.

“We really reach out to the patients and try to get to know them – and this is everyone from the folks that are working the front desk to the nurses to the techs to myself,” he added.    

This atmosphere extends to the center’s spa-like décor – featuring “lots of wood, stone and natural light” in the waiting area – to the “little touches” in the clinic rooms such as T.V’s mounted in the ceilings over the exam couches to the treatment room layout that insures moving about the center is an easy distance for elder or mobility impaired patients.  Every aspect is designed to put the patient at ease and make their treatment as comfortable as possible.

“We don’t rush our patients when they are in clinic telling us their stories,” Kahn emphasized, adding that he and his staff are also available “24/7” to answer any questions.

Beyond comfort, Kahn said his clinic has an emphasis on patient safety, with a highly trained clinical staff that includes not only himself, but an ER, heart and vascular surgery and IR experienced nurse, an experienced nephrology/dialysis trained nurse, four skilled imaging technicians, advanced cardiac life support equipment on site, a dedicated ambulance entrance if needed, and a transfer agreement with local hospitals.

The treatment suite at NEEC features some of the latest in imaging technology including an intravascular ultrasound, one of two in operation in Western Massachusetts, and treatment options that Kahn said “go beyond balloons and stents” for modifying the plaque in certain arteries. Recently, he was issued a patent for a type of needle he developed for one of the procedures performed at his center.

Describing his center as an office based lab – which differs from an ambulatory surgical center, often an extension of a hospital – Kahn said opening his own facility allows him to be as cutting-edge and responsive as new medical techniques demand.

“If a new piece of medical equipment or new technique [becomes available, I have] the ability to add it, as opposed to some of the larger systems,” he said.

Praising the referring doctors and hospitals in the area with which he works closely, Kahn said he is excited to be able to enhance the quality medical care offered to patients in Western Massachusetts through the New England Endovascular Center.

“We opened with the goal that we wanted to give the best in patient care,” he said.   

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