What You Can Expect
Our Cardiac Second Opinion Program is an opportunity for you to explore more options regarding your heart condition. The program includes:
- Assistance from our team to help arrange your appointments, help you acquire all the test and treatment information available from your current medical provider and work with you on your follow-up care plan.
- Ability to see one of our highly regarded cardiologists or cardiac surgeons.
- Care coordinated within 72 hours of contacting us (within weekday business hours).
- A customized care plan within 2-3 visits, with a letter to you and your physician describing our findings and suggested next steps.
Location
Froedtert & MCW cardiology services are available at multiple community locations in Milwaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties.
Your Appointments
It will likely take multiple visits to develop the best opinion. We anticipate that two visits will be needed for us review your situation and recommend the best course of treatment for you. Those visits include:
First Visit
If your prior records have been sent, the team will review them in advance of your appointment to help determine what you may need at this point. This could include ordering additional tests or treatments at the same time as this appointment. Our physicians will work with you so that we do not repeat tests or treatments unless absolutely necessary.
If your records have not been sent in advance, this appointment will be used to make a comprehensive review of your medical history and order any additional tests/treatments.
Second Visit
If your records have been sent, this appointment will be used as a comprehensive session with the physician and nurse to discuss your current condition and recommendation for additional steps. At this point, you will be presented with a letter and a packet which will outline the information presented in the visit. The letter and packet will contain recommendations, findings, alternatives and next steps. No additional visits are necessary unless indicated by the diagnosis.
If your records have not been sent in advance, this appointment will be used to have additional tests and treatments based on the first visit. For instance, if the cardiac cath is unreadable or dated, you could be requested to have a new cath. A third visit, similar to that outlined above, will then be scheduled as a comprehensive session with the physician and nurse to discuss your current condition and recommendation of additional steps.
Our Cardiovascular Program continues to receive recognition as one of the top programs nationally. We are honored to provide high-quality, effective care for even the most high-risk patients.
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Check Out Our Heart and Vascular Program Awards and Recognition
The Froedtert & MCW health network has built a reputation for clinical excellence and our research draws patients from around the world. Our Heart & Vascular program recognitions include:
- Premier recognized Froedtert Hospital in 2025 as one of the nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals® according to its independent quality analysis based on a balanced scorecard. The hospitals recognized in the top 50 operated at lower cost and had better outcomes, recording significantly higher inpatient survival rates, fewer patients with complications, lower readmission rates and up to nearly $7,000 less in total costs per patient case. Froedtert Hospital was ranked in the category of top teaching hospitals with a cardiovascular residency program. No other hospital in Wisconsin was recognized with this national distinction.
- The International Cardio-Oncology Society (ICOS) recognizes our Cardio-Oncology Program as a gold level Cardio-Oncology Center of Excellence in 2025. ICOS certification is awarded to institutions and practices that demonstrate superior expertise in the care of patients who have heart disease, are at high risk or experience heart complications with cancer treatment. The ICOS awards bronze, silver and gold certification. Of the two ICOS-certified programs in Wisconsin, we are the only one that meets the stringent requirements needed to be recognized as a gold level Cardio-Oncology Center of Excellence.
- Healthgrades recognized Froedtert Hospital in its 2024 Specialty Excellence Awards, including one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Surgery, one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Care and one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Coronary Intervention, as well as other specialty achievements in various areas.
- Becker’s Hospital Review recognized Froedtert Hospital within its 2024 list of 100 Hospitals and Health Systems with Great Heart Programs. Hospitals featured on this list are renowned for delivering superior heart and vascular care that results in high-quality outcomes. As part of a health network that includes eastern Wisconsin’s only academic medical center, our heart and vascular specialists treat a high volume of patients with a wide variety of heart diseases.
- The Society for Vascular Surgery's Vascular Quality Initiative (SVS VQI) recognized Froedert Hospital as a Carotid Care Quality Champion by the SVS VQI‘s clinical registry recognition program in 2024. The VQI recognizes select centers across the country as Carotid Care Quality Champions for their dedication to improving the safety and effectiveness of vascular care through participation and engagement in VQI’s carotid artery stenting and/or carotid endarterectomy registries.
- The American Heart Association recognized Froedtert Hospital with the following awards that show our commitment to improving care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines and streamlining processes to ensure timely and proper care for heart attacks.
- Get With the Guidelines® Heart Failure Gold Plus Award
- Get With the Guidelines® — Coronary Artery Disease STEMI Receiving Gold Plus with Target: Type 2 Diabetes
- Get With the Guidelines® — Coronary Artery Disease NSTEMI Gold with Target: Type 2 Diabetes
- Get With the Guidelines® AFib Gold Award
- In addition, the hospital was recognized on the AHA’s Target: Heart Failure(SM) Honor Roll and received the AHA’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll™ award.
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