Snellville, Ga. (Oct. 6, 2021) – Piedmont Heart Institute is pleased to announce that Eastside Heart and Vascular is now part of Piedmont’s nationally recognized heart and vascular program. Demir Baykal, M.D., David B. Casey, M.D., Edward Clermont, M.D., Michael Lipsitt, M.D., Marcus Sims, M.D., and Marc Unterman, M.D, will continue to provide exemplary cardiovascular care to residents of Gwinnett and Walton and surrounding counties.

The practice has two primary locations, 1700 Tree Lane, Suite 190 in Snellville, Ga. 30078 and 766 Walther Road, Suite 100 in Lawrenceville, Ga. 30046. It will also retain locations in Loganville, Monroe and Sugar Hill. The cardiologists will perform procedures out of Piedmont Eastside Medical Center. Piedmont Heart has plans to grow the practice.

Piedmont Heart Institute is a clinical destination for cardiovascular care and a leader in advancing innovative heart and vascular care for patients with even the most complex conditions. The combination of cardiovascular expertise and the most innovative procedures and techniques available has resulted in the following national recognitions:

• Named as a top 100 heart program nationally by Becker’s Hospital Review in 2017.
• Piedmont Athens and Piedmont Atlanta have earned the 2021 Women’s Choice Award for the best hospitals for heart care in Georgia.
• Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses for Cardiac Care Unit at Piedmont Atlanta.
• First adult ECMO program in the state of Georgia to be awarded Center of Excellence designation from The Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO).
• Echocardiography labs accreditation from the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) in echo and stress echo.
• Five Piedmont hospitals have achieved full Chest Pain Center Accreditation status through the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care.
• Piedmont’s nationally recognized chronic total occlusion (CTO) program boasts a success rate of more than 90 percent, well above the national average.
• As the second-largest gift in the nation ever made to a community hospital, the Marcus Foundation granted $75 million to help provide better access to expert healthcare for millions of Georgians. The gift established the Marcus Tower at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital, which includes the Marcus Heart and Vascular Center and the Samsky Invasive Cardiovascular Services Center. The 16-story tower, which opened in 2020, features technologically-advanced operating rooms, cardiac labs, and critical and acute care facilities.

“We are excited to welcome these outstanding cardiologists to Piedmont Heart,” said David E. Kandzari, M.D., chief of Piedmont Heart and the Cardiovascular Service Line. “Adding this group will allow Piedmont Eastside and Piedmont Heart to provide more high-quality and higher-level care, including complex procedures, to the citizens of Gwinnett County. For those requiring the highest level of care, Piedmont Heart also provides access to nationally recognized offerings at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital.”

Dr. Baykal is board-certified in advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology, cardiac CT, nuclear cardiology and lipidology. He earned his medical degree from Istanbul University and did his internal medicine residency at Emory University. He completed fellowships in clinical cardiology and basic science research at Emory. Dr. Baykal is a recognized national expert in cardiac catheterization, advanced cardiac imaging, advanced heart failure, and pulmonary hypertension.

Dr. Casey is board-certified in internal medicine and cardiology. He earned his medical degree from Tulane University and did his residency at LSU University Hospital and Clinics, where he was chief resident. He completed fellowships in general and interventional cardiology at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Dr. Casey has extensive training in the treatment of coronary and peripheral vascular disease with minimally invasive techniques.

Dr. Clermont is board-certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease. He specializes in cardiac electrophysiology, which focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of heart rhythm disorders. He earned his medical degree at Emory University and did his internal medicine residency at Emory. He completed a cardiology and electrophysiology fellowship at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Clermont contributes his expertise to the state-of-the-art electrophysiology lab at Piedmont Eastside Medical Center.

Dr. Lipsitt is board-certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease and interventional cardiology. He earned his medical degree from Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine and did his residency and a fellowship at Emory University. Dr. Lipsitt will retire in December 2021.

Dr. Sims is board-certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular diseases and interventional cardiology. He earned his medical degree from Morehouse School of Medicine and did his residency at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Dr. Sims completed fellowships in interventional medicine and cardiology at George Washington University, where he was chief cardiology fellow.  He is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions. Dr. Sims is currently the chief of medicine and cath lab director at Piedmont Eastside. He specializes in coronary intervention, hypertension, peripherally vascular disease, heart failure and other diseases of the heart.  

Dr. Unterman is board-certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular diseases and interventional cardiology. He is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions. He earned his medical degree from Emory University and did his internal medicine residency at Grady Memorial Hospital. He completed a cardiology fellowship at University of Cincinnati. Dr. Unterman’s practice offers the latest advancements in cardiology, electrophysiology and cardiovascular surgery.

With the exception of Dr. Lipsitt, all of the physicians are accepting new patients and welcome most major insurance plans. For more information or to book an appointment, go to piedmont.org or call 770-736-6300.