Children in need of heart surgery can no longer go to UNMH because the hospital has begun referring them to other states where they can receive better care, officials say.
UNM Hospital, which saw about 50 pediatric patients a year in need of heart surgery, doesn't have the resources or the training to treat the children at the same level as larger hospitals, said Robert Katz, chairman of UNM's Department of Pediatrics.
"Our best interest is the care of our patients," he said. "Before we look at our own interests, we need to make sure they our getting the best treatment possible."
Since the decision to end the pediatric heart program in 2000, UNMH has been sending its patients to several northern California hospitals, including Stanford University's Children's Hospital, which boasts one of the lowest mortality rates in the country.
Katz said UNMH has continued to provide services to patients before and after their trips out of state.
He said UNM has not had any pediatric cardiac surgeons on staff for the past several years, instead relying on doctors from nearby Presbyterian Hospital whenever a child would need heart surgery.
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New Mexico, Katz said, does not have the number of child heart surgeries that would require an in-depth, progressive program. Larger institutions, which deal with a high volume of similar cases, have developed the expertise to handle the situations well, he said.
Medicaid, the health insurance more than 70 percent of UNMH's patients are on, covers the costs of the patients flying out of state for the medical services. The insurance provider also pays for one parent to accompany the child, Katz said.
"Larger hospitals have the capacity to deal with high volumes of these cases and have had the experience to deal with them exceptionally well," he said. "That's all that matters. As long as the children are in good hands, we all come out winners."
