We all know heart health is vital. It can also be scary, confusing and stressful. Through heavy investment in cardiology care in Thurston County, including at Capital Medical Center and outpatient clinics in Olympia, Chehalis, and Yelm (opening spring 2026), Pulse Heart Institute is working to increase access to care for current and future patients.
“There is a tremendous need in Thurston County for cardiology services,” shares Dr. Charles “Rick” Rossow, MD, PhD, FACC, cardiologist at Capital Medical Center. “We sit in one of the largest catchment areas in the state of Washington with patients residing in five counties coming to Thurston County for advanced cardiac care.”
MultiCare Health System Completed Cardiology Investments
MultiCare Pulse Heart Institute has already completed several cardiology improvements in Thurston County. These include a $5 million hybrid operating room for cardiology, and a comprehensive clinic with the full spectrum of cardiovascular diagnostic testing.
Another large cardiology investment is the planned renovation of two cardiac catheter procedure suites in 2026. The $10 million overhaul is all about giving patients at Pulse Heart Institute sites the best care possible.
How These Cardiology Investments Help Patients Have Better Access to Care
These upgrades help boost the quality of care but also the number of people that can be seen. “One system cannot meet the demand for acute coronary syndrome (heart attacks, heart rhythm problems, heart failure) that we see in Thurston County,” shares Rossow. “A couple of years ago, we had data that showed us a significant number of patients needing acute coronary syndrome care from our region ended up leaving Thurston County. It is important to bring in a second health system to meet the needs and keep care local. Pulse Heart Institute and MultiCare saw this need for the community and has committed to building a robust cardiac program.”
A long wait to see a cardiologist or get treatment can be a life-or-death situation. Pulse Heart Institute is actively working to create more access to care. These new clinics will join the Pulse Heart Institute on Ensign Road in Olympia. Rossow shares that these investments will mean more patients can be seen in a timelier manner. “Timely follow up in the clinic is equally important as hospital care. Great access to care helps keep patients out of the hospital. Patients are also able to see their established providers, which is very important to our patients and to us providers. We have been able to keep the wait times for new patients in our clinic to less than two weeks on average. We have numerous examples of patients that were referred to our clinic with routine referrals that we ended up discovering to have very serious underlying illnesses.[LS1] Before Pulse came into the region, routine cardiology referrals often waited weeks to months to get an appointment” he adds. “Competition is always good, having two systems is going to benefit the community, Patients will receive robust care regardless of what hospital system they go to.”
“MultiCare’s investments listed above provide Thurston County residents access to more care and medical services closer to home,” shares Will Callicoat, president of Capital Medical Center.
Pulse Heart Institute’s Model Attracts Quality Cardiologists
But it’s not just fancy new instruments or buildings that make the Pulse Heart Institute great for patients. It’s the philosophy behind these investments – the “why” – that focuses on the patient and the provider being heard. “I believe in their system and model of provider-driven care to improve the quality of care to the patients,” Rossow shares on why he joined their team. “This isn’t a corporate model, but physician led. It’s been exciting to be able to shape a system on what works best for our patients and our providers. We have been able to scale this to all levels of care, from outpatient visits to tertiary care in our hospitals across the system. Every decision we make at Pulse truly centers around, ‘How do we take the best care of patients and provide them with the excellent care they deserve?’”
MultiCare Health System Planned Health Investments in Thurston County
But MultiCare isn’t done. They have a series of planned investments that will add even more opportunities for care as well as increase the quality of care in Thurston County. Opening in 2026 is a $1.7 million comprehensive breast center, $6 million in updates to a linear accelerator for radiation oncology, and a $5.4 million ambulatory surgery center, and two $4 million daVinci surgical robots.
Coming in 2027, will be a brand-new primary care clinic in Grand Mound as well.
“These new services join our neighborhood emergency department in Lacey and the cardiology investments to provide residents with a continuum of care that hasn’t been available before.” shares Callicoat.
When your heart needs help, you want answers and quickly. But you also want to be heard when you have concerns or questions. Pulse Heart Institute is dedicated to giving you both while providing the best care possible. So next time you have a heartache, reach out Pulse Heart – they mend the broken hearts that can’t be fixed with a pint of ice cream or Romcom binge. Visit the Pulse Heart Institute website to learn more.
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