Samaritan Hospital to Grow Inpatient Cardiology Services in 2026

While celebrating American Heart Month this February, St. Peter's Health Partners is pleased to share that Albany Associates in Cardiology (AAC), Cardiology Associates of Schenectady (CAS) and Saratoga Cardiology Associates (SCA), are expanding inpatient cardiology services at Samaritan Hospital in Troy for 2026. This expanded coverage ensures patients will continue to receive top-of-the-line cardiovascular care at Samaritan Hospital, now and into the future.

The three cardiology practices are teaming up at Samaritan Hospital as St. Peter's Cardiology Associates - now the largest cardiology group in upstate New York with decades of experience and expertise. The team will be providing full-service, top-tier heart care 24/7, 365 days a year to our patients at Samaritan.

The coverage expansion has been effective as of January 1, 2026, following Capital Cardiology Associates' (CCA) decision to discontinue inpatient services at Samaritan.

"Our patients are always our top priority," said James Lawrence Phillip, MD, cardiologist with Albany Associates in Cardiology. "St. Peter's Health Partners remains committed to providing comprehensive cardiovascular care throughout our community, including our patients in Rensselaer County and beyond."

"This change at Samaritan Hospital reflects a significant investment by SPHP to ensure our patients continue to have stable access to exceptional cardiac care close to home," added Dr. Phillip.

The scope of cardiac services available at Samaritan Hospital includes:

• Full-service cardiology lab including diagnostic and intervention (percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, stent, rotoblator atherectomy, thrombectomy)
• Full cardiac emergency services including therapeutic hypothermia, left ventricular support and transvenous pacing
• Transesophageal Echocardiogram (TEE)
• Elective Cardioversion (CV)
• Full-service peripheral vascular lab including diagnostic and intervention (percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, stent, atherectomy, thrombectomy)

For 2026, St. Peter's Cardiology Associates is already working to improve accessibility. New providers continue to be welcomed to the practices, expanding the network of care available to patients and supporting increased access as demand grows for those services.

"We are excited to expand our network of cardiac care for the Capital Region, especially the residents of Troy and Rensselaer County," said Kellie Valenti, executive vice president of Trinity Health New York Medical Groups. "By growing our cardiology practices and expanding their coverage for inpatient care at Samaritan Hospital, we continue to invest in a healthy future for Troy."

St. Peter's Cardiology Associates has 90-plus cardiologists at 10 locations caring for patients throughout the greater Capital Region including Albany, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Saratoga, Warren, Montgomery, Fulton, Columbia and Greene counties, and beyond. Additionally, many of the locations offer walk-in, same day cardiac care, with coverage spanning morning through mid-afternoon depending on the site.

Samaritan Hospital has long been recognized as one of the Capital Region's top hospitals for care. Recent accolades include:

• Forbes recently Samaritan Hospital as one of its "Top Hospitals 2026," one of just 15 hospitals in New York state with at least four stars. The list, released just last month, was Forbes' first-ever list of the top hospitals in the United States, rating hospitals on 56 measures.
• The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP®) recognized Samaritan Hospital in 2025 as one of fewer than 100 ACS NSQIP participating hospitals nationwide that achieved meritorious outcomes for surgical patient care across three consecutive years.
• The American Heart Association recognized Samaritan Hospital with its Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus quality achievement award in 2025, acknowledging its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.
• U.S. News & World Report ranked Samaritan Hospital as High Performing in four conditions/procedures (heart attack, heart failure, COPD, and pneumonia) for 2024-2025.

For more information on St. Peter's Health Partners' cardiac care programs, please visit https://www.sphp.com/heart.