Cardiac electrophysiologist Lawrence Klein, M.D., considers caring for patients his top priority.

From the moment a young Lawrence Klein, M.D., read a book about medical discoveries in fourth grade, he knew he wanted to be a doctor one day. “It just clicked with me, and I said, ‘This is what I want to do with my life,’” he remembered.

Now a cardiologist with Southern Indiana Heart and Vascular, part of the Columbus Regional Health network, Dr. Klein was sure about medicine from the start, but he wasn’t always set on matters of the heart. He initially planned to go into nephrology — study of the kidneys — but switched to cardiology on a fluke after a friend suggested it. “It turned out to be a good move,” he said. 

A Good Fit
Dr. Klein specializes in electrophysiology, which means he deals with issues related to the heart’s electrical system, such as the heart beating too fast or too slow. Before coming to CRH in 2017, Dr. Klein worked as co-director of the electrophysiology department at Indiana University School of Medicine. He graduated from Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia, completed an internship and residency at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed a fellowship at Indiana University.

Here, he has found just the right-sized health system where he feels like his work is truly a profession and not just a job. When CRH was recently recognized as one of the top 50 cardiovascular hospitals for the second year in a row, he was thrilled.

“Usually, places with big names that spend a lot of money on marketing or consultants to buff data win these awards, but Columbus Regional Health does not do that,” Dr. Klein said. “We just submit our data and are very honest. Sometimes it pays to do the right thing and do a good job.”

Coming Soon to CRH
Dr. Klein is particularly excited about the plans for building out the electrophysiology lab, which will break ground this year. The department is recruiting now to further expand the program in the area of atrial fibrillation ablation, a technique to treat irregular heartbeats.

At CRH, Dr. Klein — who sings in a men’s barbershop group Circle City Sound in his spare time — loves the close-knit community. “We have each other’s backs,” he said. “When someone is busy, we can say, ‘Hey, will you help me out?’ and it’s taken care of. It’s really a collegial atmosphere and that reflects in the patient care. I’ll stay here as long as they’ll have me.”

As Dr. Klein noted, Columbus Regional Health has been recognized for the second year in a row as one of the nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals by Fortune and IBM Watson Health, a division of IBM that is dedicated to the development and implementation of technologies designed to advance health. CRH is one of only two Indiana health systems on the list.

The award means that the CRH Heart & Vascular Center has demonstrated better clinical care and has delivered that care more efficiently than most other cardiovascular programs.

“We are very proud of and thankful for the excellent Heart and Vascular team of physicians, nurses, technicians and other healthcare professionals and the top-quality services they perform each and every day,” said Columbus Regional Health President and CEO Jim Bickel. “Congratulations to this team and our entire workforce for each individual’s unique contribution in our constant efforts to provide this level of care for our patients.”

$49 Heart Scans
CRH offers CT scans of the heart for $49. Learn more and see whether you're eligible at crh.org/heart.