Making history and recording history are rarely thought of in the same context; however occasionally the two are one and the same. Such is the case as the the Michigan Vascular Center, a private vascular practice located in Flint, Michigan, enters its 50th year of service to its community and state. Barring documentation to the contrary, we believe the Michigan Vascular Center is the oldest and longest running private practice vascular surgery group in the country. What follows is a brief summary of its remarkable history.

Its founder was Dr. Albert Macksood, the son of a Lebanese immigrant-physician Joseph Macksood, who returned home to Flint on July 1, 1963, after completing his surgical training with Dr. Emerick Szilagyi’s group at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. Those were the formative years of our specialty and Dr. Macksood brought to Flint skills few in the country possessed. Confident in his ability, imbued with boundless energy and an uncanny ability to engage any and all in meaningful dialogue.

Dr. Al was advised by his father to only practice vascular surgery, unusual for those years, so as not to compete with the general surgeons who lacked his vascular skills. Most remarkable about Dr. Macksood, however, was his simple, yet revolutionary, philosophy: “cover the waterfront” ( three Flint area hospitals which have had continuous emergency coverage since) , add only fellowship trained physicians as the need dictated and create a true group practice such that the patients belonged to, and were treated by, all partners. This created an equal work load and compensation and allowed all to have a life by making time for family and interests predictable. It also created power in numbers with the opportunity and support to broaden our horizons.

As the practice grew, Dr. Macksood tapped Dr. Szilagyi’s program for recruits. By 1975 three additional vascular surgeons – Dr. Al Morgan (’65), Dr. Rick Sherrin (’70) and I (’75) joined. This fact- that the first four members came from Dr. Szilagyi’s program- was important to our early success because all shared a common culture and work ethic- we were in synch- we shared the same philosophical approach to the patient and the practice of our specialty. This made incorporating a new partner a seamless experience. Since then vascular surgeons from other institutions have joined- Drs. Ippolito and McIlduff and Fortin from the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Kinning from Ohio, Dr. Molnar from Vanderbuilt, Dr. Becker from Wayne State and Dr. Malhotra from the Albany Vascular Group. Currently we are recruiting fellows from the Medical College of Wisconsin and the Mayo Clinic.

As with all vascular practices, the transition into the endovascular arena during the ‘90s and early 2000 presented challenges’ Thanks to our networking with reps from the various medical device companies (Kathy Patterson then with Bard, Cheryl Lubin from Boston Scientific and Amy Ketola/John Toddhunter/ Matt Borenzweig then with Medtronic), vascular surgeons such as Dr. Vic Burnhardt, Dr. Ted Diethrich in Arizona and international physicians such as Dr. Antonio in Modena, Italy and Drs. Cremonesi and Castriota in Ravenna, Italy, our members were able to travel nationally and internationally to work with these men and gain the necessary skills for aortic endografting and carotid stenting.

By 2002 we established our Michigan Vascular Research Center for the numerous clinical trials we were involved in and offered hands on experience to teach other vascular surgeons the art of carotid stenting.

Our center has grown in response to the needs of our vascular practice and the vascular patient. Over the past several years we have added two free standing outpatient diagnostic/angioaccess centers and a free standing VeinSolutions Center. Our latest addition is a Mobility Center to enable the amputee to regain mobility. It has proven to be a great psychological boost to the amputee. On November 5, 2012, we will know if we are approved for a 5-2 vascular fellowship program.

As with any endeavor, the owners have to “tend to the store.” As a private practice group we realize we are responsible to each other and for the success of our practice. We risk our capital in our expansion decisions and this provides us with the opportunity to move swiftly, without layers of bureaucratic approval. We meet every two weeks to review and plan medical and business issues, always with an eye toward future developments and opportunities to improve the care of our patients.

We are very proud of our independent, private practice vascular center, planning for another 50 years, and believe that by adhering to our cultural values, we will make The Michigan Vascular Center a member of the 100 year club. The current health reform agenda presents challenges yet given the size of our group, we feel confident in the value and cost-effective systems we provide and believe we will find opportunity. We look forward to the future.

Carlo A. Dall’Olmo, MD,

For the Michigan Vascular Center Group

[For the complete story of the Center by Dr. Dall’Olmo, please visit our website at www.vascularspecialistonline.com.]

From The Vascular Community