Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI) has signed an agreement with Redmond Regional Medical Center and The Harbin Clinic, a multi-specialty physician practice in Rome, Ga., to be a cardiovascular clinical research site in its network.

Last year, SCRI launched a cardiovascular research initiative to grow its network of cardiovascular sites. Redmond Regional Medical Center/The Harbin Clinic is SCRI’s second cardiovascular site and the first that includes both a hospital and a physician practice in the agreement. 

Founded in 2004, strategic research organization SCRI has 237 employees. SCRI conducts community-based clinical trials in cardiology, oncology, gastroenterology and other therapeutic areas through affiliations with a network of more than 450 physicians in 25 states. The organization offers management, regulatory and other research support services to drug development sponsors and investigative sites across the country. 

As part of the agreement, SCRI will help manage quality assurance and regulatory compliance as well as provide information technology capabilities and support. In addition, the staffs will have access to SCRI’s physician experts and clinical research team. SCRI’s expanding cardiovascular research network enables hospitals and physician practices to grow their research programs and allow patients to participate in clinical trials in their own communities. 

“Redmond Regional Medical Center and The Harbin Clinic have outstanding reputations for delivering quality and innovative cardiovascular care, both at the facility and provider level,” said Steven V. Manoukian, M.D., director of cardiovascular research for SCRI. “This innovative partnership is a big step toward SCRI’s goal of advancing therapies for patients through our growing cardiovascular clinical research network of healthcare facilities and physician practices.” 

Redmond Regional is a 230-bed acute care facility serving northwest Georgia and parts of Alabama. It is the only hospital in the region with 24-hour access to angioplasty, open heart and other cardiac procedures. It handles more than 8,000 cardiac cases per year. Redmond Regional is owned by Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), also a majority owner of SCRI. 

The Harbin Clinic is Georgia’s largest privately owned multi-specialty physician group with more than 140 doctors, 20 locations and more than 30 specialties. Harbin Clinic cardiovascular services include 11 cardiologists, four cardiothoracic surgeons, five vascular surgeons, a cardiac rehab program and accredited imaging labs. The clinic has a 61-year history. It currently has three medical device trials ongoing in conjunction with Harbin physicians, Manoukian said. 

Since 1997, Harbin Clinic physician investigators have conducted more than 150 clinical trials, according to Kenneth F. Davis, M.D., president and CEO at The Harbin Clinic. “Over the past four years, we have provided research opportunities to over 600 patients here at Harbin Clinic.  These 600 patients have been enrolled in over 30 studies covering the following specialty areas or disease types:  oncology, cardiology, rheumatology, urology, plastic surgery, migraine, stroke, diabetes, gout, hypertension and depression,” said Davis. 

Brenda M. Waltz, CEO of Redmond Regional Medical Center, added: “We look forward to partnering with Dr. Manoukian and his team to help expand cardiovascular research through clinical trials. SCRI has an impressive record for developing and testing new approaches to therapies. We also appreciate the expertise that The Harbin Clinic cardiologists will bring to the strategic site.”