Since opening in December 2024, BayCare’s Comprehensive Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) Center has helped more than 400 patients who are living with AFib. The center, first of its kind developed by BayCare’s Heart and Vascular Institute, reflects BayCare’s commitments to clinical excellence, timely access, seamless coordination and compassionate expertise.
AFib is a heart rhythm disorder causing rapid, irregular heartbeat that disrupts blood flow. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 6.1 million people in the U.S. suffer from AFib.
The center provides personalized care to patients who are newly diagnosed with AFib as well as those who have been living with the condition for years.
It offers rapid access — often within one to three days of referral — ensuring no patient faces their diagnosis alone. During the initial visit to the center, an advanced practice provider spends one hour with each patient, offering tailored education, medication review and clear explanations that empower patients to understand and manage their condition confidently.
The center is also set up to streamline access to advanced treatments, including cardioversion, cardiac ablations, and device placement, working closely with specialty surgeons and electrophysiologists – cardiologists who specialize in heart rhythm issues.
“When patients walk through our doors feeling anxious or overwhelmed, my goal is to make sure they leave feeling informed, supported, and never alone in managing their diagnosis,” said Christie Felts, APRN. Felts leads the care coordination at the Comprehensive Atrial Fibrillation Center.
Timothy Maglione says she achieved that goal when he experienced AFib. While he was home watching TV on Oct. 30, 2025, his smartwatch alerted him that he was experiencing AFib.
“My heart was racing. I felt like I was having a heart attack,” he said. “I quickly researched AFib and learned the greatest risk was a stroke. My wife immediately took me to Morton Plant Hospital’s ER.”
The ER team stabilized his heart rhythm and gave him a referral to the Comprehensive AFib Center for follow-up. Felts received the referral from Maglione’s ER visit the next morning at the same time she listened to a phone voice message from him. A few days later, Maglione spent an hour at the center where Felts explained the condition, reviewed treatment options and discussed medications to help prevent a stroke.
“Christie’s (Felts) empathy, professionalism and clarity in explaining options were great,” Maglione said. “It was such an efficient process. In less than six weeks after my ER visit, I had an ablation.”
An ablation is a minimally invasive procedure that uses energy to create scar tissue to block abnormal electrical signals in the heart.
Maglione recently had a follow up with his electrophysiologist and is recovering well. He will stay on a blood thinner for a few more weeks, but he has returned to the golf course, one of his passions, and plans to return to long distance running soon.
“The center is a great idea for people like me who don’t know much about the condition. The education and explanation of options were really helpful,” Maglione said.
By improving patient understanding and offering individualized care plans, the Comprehensive Atrial Fibrillation Center is making a meaningful impact on long-term patient health and strengthening BayCare’s mission to improve the well-being of every person it serves.
This first Comprehensive Atrial Fibrillation Center was opened in Clearwater at the Cheek-Powell Heart and Vascular Pavillion on the Morton Plant Hospital campus. BayCare plans to open Comprehensive Atrial Fibrillation Centers in Tampa and Winter Haven in 2026.
Learn more: Comprehensive Atrial Fibrillation Center
