• The Prairie Diagnostic Center is a first of its kind cooperative enterprise and the result of a two-year planning effort between Prairie Cardiovascular, Memorial Medical Center, and St. John’s Hospital.

  • April 2005 — The Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board approved construction of the $14.2 million Prairie Diagnostic Center in Springfield. The two-story, 27,800 square-foot facility will be built within the Springfield Medical District at 401 E. Carpenter Street.

  • An increasing number of cardiac diagnostic procedures are being done on an outpatient basis. The expertise that now exists to perform heart and vascular procedures allows the option to provide these services in an outpatient, easily accessible environment and allows the hospitals to concentrate on inpatient procedures such as the placement of coated stents and higher risk procedures.

  • In addition to two low-radiation, flat-panel catheterization labs, the Prairie Diagnostic Center will house a Phillip's 64-detector CT scanner which will be used for heart and vascular diagnosis.

  • The latest advanced technology, along with the expertise and commitment of the heart and vascular programs at St. John’s Hospital, Memorial Medical Center, and the cardiologists at Prairie Cardiovascular, have combined to create a top-rated, high-quality facility to diagnose heart and vascular disease. This addition will further strengthen Springfield’s position as a medical center of excellence in the region.

  • Improvements to heart and vascular care available at PDC:

  • The center will be electronically linked to Memorial Medical Center and St. John’s Hospital to allow immediate access to patient medical records and diagnostic images. Accuracy and efficiencies are improved by access to all existing information and immediate transfer of new information.

  • A hotel-like environment with flat screen TVs and WiFi internet access for patients and families.

  • On-time appointments insures that procedures will not be delayed by the need to insert emergency cases in the place of scheduled diagnostic cases.

  • Convenient parking next to facility.

  • Offers a template experience for possible future areas of cooperation between
    Prairie Cardiovascular, Memorial Medical Center and St. John’s Hospital to provide cooperative improvements to heart and vascular care in Springfield and central Illinois.

  • The Prairie Vascular Institute will be located on second floor and staffed by Illinois’ only Vascular Internist and cardiologists specializing in vascular interventions.
    (More information will be announced in the future.)

  • The design of Prairie Diagnostic Center complies with Springfield Medical District recommendations.

  • The facility is designed in the “Prairie Style” of architecture and features horizontal roof lines and interplay of brick and windows.

  • Specialized, dedicated outpatient diagnostic centers not only deliver rapid diagnostic services, but also foster efficiencies that should lead to decreased costs.

  • Marc E. Shelton, M.D., of Prairie Cardiovascular serves as Medical Director of Prairie Diagnostic Center; Jonna Herring, R.N., is Chief Operating Officer.