Navigating the Clinical Component
Patient Population
Union Memorial serves a tertiary cardiovascular patient population referred from across the four-hospital MedStar Baltimore region (Union Memorial, MedStar Good Samaritan, MedStar Harbor, and MedStar Franklin Square) plus the system’s ambulatory practices. Structural heart procedure patients typically present with valvular heart disease, severe aortic stenosis, mitral regurgitation, or left atrial appendage closure indications. The echo lab serves inpatient and ambulatory volume drawn from the regional cardiology service line.
Daily Workflow
Your week combines scheduled structural procedures, OR cases for intra-operative imaging, and inpatient echo reading. Daily structure flexes based on procedural calendar and lab demand. Typical components include:
- Pre-procedure consultation and imaging review for structural heart cases
- Intra-operative imaging during structural procedures in the catheterization labs and hybrid suite
- Transesophageal echocardiography for procedural guidance
- Inpatient transthoracic echocardiography reading
- Echo lab quality review and teaching activities
Structural Heart Procedures
The role supports intra-operative imaging across the structural heart procedure mix:
- Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)
- Mitral valve interventions including MitraClip
- Watchman left atrial appendage closure
- Tricuspid valve procedures
- Complex valvular cases requiring advanced imaging guidance
Echocardiography Lab
The Union Memorial echo lab anchors inpatient echocardiography for the Baltimore region. Operational details include:
- 5 echo technicians on weekdays, 1 on weekends
- Approximately 85 percent same-day completion rate for inpatient studies
- Inpatient flow combines studies completed in the lab and at the bedside
- Multi-machine setup with 3D echo, strain imaging, and TEE probes
- Cerner EMR currently in use, transitioning to Epic in 2026
- 20 or more system-wide echo readers across the regional cardiology service line
Outpatient echocardiography is performed at MedStar Heart and Vascular outpatient centers located across the street from the main hospital.
Care Team Collaboration
You will work closely with the following team members and groups:
- The current structural echocardiographer on the advanced imaging team
- Cardiac surgery team led by Brian T. Bethea, MD, Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Union Memorial
- Regional structural heart cardiologist and interventional cardiology team
- Catheterization lab nursing and technical staff under Rodney, Technical Director of the Echo Lab
- Cardiac anesthesia team during procedural cases
- Echo lab medical director, a separately recruited role with oversight of quality, standardization, and accreditation
Cath Lab and Hybrid Suite Infrastructure
The structural heart program operates in:
- Three cardiac catheterization labs at Union Memorial, all renovated within the past three years
- One hybrid operating suite currently in use
- A second hybrid suite under development
Call Structure
Call structure for the position is negotiable based on candidate preference and team needs. Structural echo coverage is typically tied to procedural commitments rather than traditional after-hours hospital call.
Subspecialty Connections
You will sit at the intersection of several MedStar Baltimore cardiology subspecialty programs:
- Structural heart and cardiac surgery (the primary focus of the role)
- Advanced heart failure and transplantation, the clinical program led by Dr. Najjar at Union Memorial
- Adult congenital heart disease, a program recently added through MedStar’s recruitment from Johns Hopkins
- Cardiac CT and MRI program, currently in development across the region
Research and Teaching
MedStar Union Memorial Hospital is a teaching hospital affiliated with Georgetown University School of Medicine. MedStar Health operates one of the largest graduate medical education programs in the country, training 1,100 residents annually across nearly 100 specialty programs. Research collaboration is supported system-wide through the MedStar Heart and Vascular Institute and the system’s clinical partnership with the Cleveland Clinic Heart and Vascular Institute. Specific teaching responsibilities and research participation will be confirmed during the interview process based on candidate interest.