RHSHC Cardiology Clinic

CRESCO - In partnership with Cedar Valley Cardiovascular Center and UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital, Regional Health Services of Howard County (RHSHC) offers an Outreach Cardiology Clinic for patients in the Howard County/Cresco area. 

The on-site Cardiology Clinic healthcare provider, Micaela Rahm, ARNP, works in conjunction with primary care providers to offer in-depth and/or specialty care without requiring most patients to travel beyond RHSHC. 

“If a patient is having chest pain or shortness of breath, or palpitations or flutters in their chest, or swelling, they would let their family doctor know, and the doctor could refer them here [to the Cardiology Clinic],” Rahm said. “We also treat coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, atrial fibrillation or other arrhythmias, and sleep apnea.”

Many tests for such ailments can be done close to home. “RHSHC offers a lot of outpatient testing that I will order,” Rahm said. “Stress tests, echo cardiograms, holter monitors, sleep studies – they are all done here, locally.”

More invasive tests and procedures, such as angiograms and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), can be done at the UnityPoint Health – Allen Hospital in Waterloo, which was recently named one of the country’s top 50 cardiovascular hospitals by Fortune and IBM Watson Health. “We have a cardio thoracic surgeon,” Rahm added, for procedures such as bypass, heart surgery and valve replacement.

Rahm, who is originally from Charles City, is well familiar with the challenges of rural community healthcare. “Access to healthcare is more difficult when you’re in rural areas,” she said. “Luckily, here, I have noticed that you have phenomenal family practice providers that have done a great job managing patients. However, sometimes people need a bit more specialty.

“I think the main benefit [of the Cardiology Clinic] is going to be the ongoing easy access to specialty healthcare,” Rahm went on. “Especially with me being here every week, if somebody needs something, I’ll be pretty readily available for that.”

The first step to the Cardiology Clinic is a referral from a family care provider. Once that happens, Rahm will review the patient’s chart, history and symptoms to determine the best course of action. “I do initial consults,” she said. “I do medication treatment. I do ordering of tests. And then I do long-term followup, too.”

Some patients may require weekly appointments to adjust their medications while others may simply need yearly exams to keep tabs on their ongoing cardiac health. The important thing is, whatever level of care they need, the Cardiology Clinic will be there every step of the way.

“Most things, we’re going to be able to manage here in town,” Rahm noted. “My goal would be to continue to build relationships with patients and the providers here so that we have a good team treating patients, keeping them out of the hospital, and really improving their health overall.”