When diagnosed with heart failure, most patients and families assume the worst. Fortunately, Piedmont Heart Institute of Athens physician, Catherine Marti, M.D. is helping patients understand that with the right treatment, this serious condition is very manageable.

“Hearing the term ‘heart failure’ can seem to mean that the heart is no longer working, leading a lot of people to believe there’s nothing that can be done,” said Dr. Marti. “That’s actually not the case at all. Heart failure is a serious condition, usually with no cure, but with the right treatment, it’s very manageable.”

Dr. Marti leads the Magill-Miller Advanced Heart Failure Clinic at Piedmont Heart Institute of Athens. Named after the area’s first cardiologists, Ham Magill, M.D., and James Miller, M.D., this clinic is building on their legacy by providing high-quality healthcare to all patients who suffer from this progressive condition.

The clinic uses advanced diagnostic and treatment services to provide personalized care plans for each patient and provides a seamless transition between inpatient and outpatient settings. As the only board-certified heart failure specialist in the Athens area, Dr. Marti and her heart failure team also focus on patient support through navigation services, patient education and scheduled support groups.

Magill-Miller Heart Failure Clinic by the Numbers:

• 100 – We see an average of 100 patients weekly in our heart failure clinic.
• 200 – We follow over 200 devices used to manage heart failure, including over 50 CardioMEMS^TM HF Systems, an implantable sensor that sends information wirelessly to the patient’s physician. This is one of the largest populations with this technology in Georgia, which cuts down hospital admissions, doctor visits and helps improve overall quality of life.
• 50 – More than 50 patients have been referred for advanced heart failure therapies since the creation of our heart failure clinic two years ago.
• 13.3 percent - We have a low inpatient readmission rate of 13.3 percent.

As our clinic continues to grow and treatments continue to advance, we ask that you will help support the Magill-Miller Advanced Heart Failure Clinic with the following needs:

• Patient Education: Your support will provide educational material about heart failure, medication management and nutrition, as well as enhance our advanced heart failure support group. These resources help patients live a healthy lifestyle that can keep them out of the hospital and even help save their lives.
• Staff and Specialized Training: About 5.7 million adults in the United States have heart failure.¹ Your support will provide specialized training so Dr. Marti and her team have the knowledge and experience to treat the most complex of cases. We see an average of 100 patients weekly in our heart failure clinic. With more patients being diagnosed daily, we need additional staff to ensure that each patient gets the personalized care he/she deserve.
• Clinic Updates and Renovations: Piedmont Athens Regional was built to serve the community. We want our patients to receive the most advanced diagnostic and treatment services right here at home.

Support the Magill-Miller Advanced Heart Failure Clinic.

To learn more about Dr. Marti visit piedmont.org/DrMarti.

¹Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019