EECP for Patients with Cardiac Syndrome X

Dr. C Michael Gibson

A globally renowned cardiologist, Dr. C Michael Gibson has revolutionized the field through groundbreaking contributions such as developing the TIMI Frame Count and TIMI Flow Grade, advancing the quantification of coronary blood flow. Gibson was named one of 50 Most Influential Voices In Healthcare by Medika Life in 2021 and his research has been cited over 148,000 times.

Dr. Gibson is a practicing interventional cardiologist at Beth Israel Lahey Health who has held numerous leadership positions in medicine including as a Coronary Care Unit Director, a Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory Director, a Chief of Cardiology and as a Vice Chairman of Medicine at a hospital of over 1,000 physicians. His extraordinary career also includes serving as a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ClinicalTrialResults.org and the Wiki Doc Foundation, Founder and Chairman of the PERFUSE Study Group, and CEO of the BAIM Institute for Clinical Research where he has led phase 1-4 clinical trials, and cardiology megatrials of over 30,000 patients.

For years, Gibson has been chosen as one of Boston's Top Doctors & U.S. News & World Report also lists him as one of America's top doctors. In addition, Gibson is an accomplished artist whose work is held in numerous collections.

We’ll Handle All the Details

To keep your experience as easy as possible, we’ll work with your physician to complete all of the necessary paperwork required for your EECP treatments. Our team will also lead all of the insurance needs for you, so all you have to do is focus on getting stronger.

Sit Back, Relax, and Enjoy a Calming Atmosphere

Our Flow Therapy treatment centers are designed to feel like a day spa for EECP treatment. You’ll have your own designated area with a flat screen television, headphones, and streaming technology to pass the time watching movies or TV shows. Not to mention the great education you’ll receive from our wonderful clinical providers.

A Treatment Schedule That Works For You

On your first visit, we’ll guide you through a short orientation, and help you select a recurring time slot for treatments. We encourage you to keep all of your appointments, but if you need to miss one, it will not have a negative outcome on your therapy. We’ll simply add another session at the end of your schedule.

A Friendly Team Focused Solely On Your Treatment

Unlike some cardiovascular programs where attention is spread across a variety of disciplines, our focus is squarely on practicing and pioneering the Flow Therapy experience.

You’ll experience highly personalized treatment, delivered by excellent clinicians in a safe, friendly, informative, and comfortable environment. We even provide coaching to help you manage other health conditions along with your heart.

For more about how we work, visit our Core Values page.

35 Treatments to Improve the Next 3-5 Years of Your Life

EECP Flow Therapy requires 35 one-hour EECP treatments, occurring 5 days per week, across 7 weeks of therapy. While that may seem like a lot, in our 17 years of experience, nearly all our patients complete the full course, and you can too!

Research has shown the beneficial effects of EECP Flow Therapy to last between two and five years after treatment. Plus, our friendly and personable staff make the weeks feel like they’re flying by.

What Happens During EECP Flow Therapy?

During EECP Flow Therapy, patients lie down on a padded table with specialized cuffs (similar to blood pressure cuffs) wrapped around their calves, lower thighs, and hips.

While the heart is in its resting phase, these cuffs inflate sequentially from the calves toward the hips. Then, just before the heart beats, the cuffs all deflate. This pressure creates blood flow that is similar to exercise–fueling all areas of your cardiovascular system with essential oxygenated blood while you rest.

It might feel a little different at first, but most patients settle in quickly, and our incredible staff is with you every beat along the way.

Click here for more on the science behind Flow Therapy.

Hello, I’m Roberta, I’m a 75-year-old female. Over the years I’ve had multiple PCIs and a CABG. I am a diabetic, HPL, and have class 3/4 CKD.

I had an abnormal MPI showing a small area of ischemia and live a sedentary lifestyle and exercise intolerant. You have prescribed cardiac rehab previously, but I still want more benefit.

Doctor, I would benefit from Flow Therapy.

Hello, I’m Frank, I’m a 79-year-old male with DM, CKD, and PAD. I am an ischemic cardiomyopathy patient with reduced LV function, and have an AICD. I’ve had a previous MI and CABGx2 years ago and now with failed grafts.

I’ve had 3 trips to the hospital last year, and I severely limit my activities to avoid dyspnea and fatigue. I am on maximal tolerated medication with a blood pressure of 100/72.

Doctor, I would like Flow Therapy.

Hello, I’m Irene, I’m a 53-year-old female with metabolic syndrome managed by my PCP. I was referred to you for my exertional chest tightness and abnormal ECG/cardiac workup.

My MPI is showing a reversible defect but my left heart cath resulted in non-occlusive disease with some slow flow.

Doctor, I would benefit from Flow Therapy.

Hello, I’m Paul, I’m a 66-year-old diabetic male, and recently post-cath after having an abnormal stress test and clinically diagnosed angina.

You noticed a totally occluded RCA with collaterals, 1.5 cm OM1, diffused disease throughout left circ, and patent stents. I’m on aggressive medical management.

Doctor, I would like Flow Therapy.

Hello, I’m Tom, I’m a 62-year-old male, and you are currently optimizing my medical therapy for my stable symptoms.

You are aware of my coronary anatomy from a previous stent, and also know that I am becoming intolerant to nitrites, and truly don’t just want another pill such as ranolazine.

Doctor, I would benefit from Flow Therapy.

John Wagner

Co-Founder and Managing Partner
Trinity Investment Group, LLC

John Wagner was appointed to the Flow Therapy Board of Directors in 2012, and has been a key figure in the development of the organization’s long range planning. Mr. Wagner is co-founder and managing partner of Trinity Investment Group, LLC. Prior to forming Trinity, Mr. Wagner was the CFO of a private equity owned healthcare IT Company, Healthcare Payment Specialists.

Mr. Wagner was a partner with Walker Smith Capital, a long/short equity hedge fund, from 2003 to 2012 where he was responsible for investments within the healthcare industry. Prior to Walker Smith, he worked in the Healthcare Investment Banking Group at UBS as an associate and as an analyst in the Corporate Finance Group at Bank of America. In addition to serving on the Flow Therapy board, Mr. Wagner serves as a Member of the Board of Advanced Plan for Health, and is a member of the Salesmanship Club of Dallas.

John Wagner graduated from the University of Texas with a BBA in Finance.

Dr. Timothy D. Henry

Medical Director of The Carl and Edyth Lindner Center for Research and Education
The Christ Hospital

Dr. Timothy D. Henry is the Medical Director of The Carl and Edyth Lindner Center for Research and Education at The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. Prior to The Lindner Research Center, he was the Chief of Cardiology at Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars Sinai Medical Center and a Professor of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai and UCLA from 2013 to 2018 and the Director of Research at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis and a Professor of Medicine at the University of Minneapolis from 2001 to 2013.

He has published over 600 manuscripts and book chapters and has served as principal investigator and steering committees of multiple large, multicenter research trials in acute myocardial infarction, refractory angina and regenerative medicine with gene and stem cell therapy. He is Principle Investigator for 2 large STEMI registries, The Midwest STEMI Consortium and the North American COVID STEMI registry. Among other awards, Henry has been named to the Best Doctors in America list each year for the last 15 years, became a Master Fellow for the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) in 2015, received the American Heart Association’s Heart and Stroke Hero Award in Research in 2013, the LUMEN Global Lifetime Achievement Award in MI in 2012, and most recently was awarded the Cincinnati 2021 Health Care Heroes Award, Innovator. He is currently the President of The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) (2021-2022).

James D. Shelton

Former Chief Executive Officer
Triad Hospitals

James D. Shelton joined the Flow Therapy board in 2013, having served and shaped the healthcare industry throughout his thirty-year career. From 1998 through 2007, Mr. Shelton served as the Chairman and CEO of Triad Hospitals, taking the company from its initial formation to a position as the third largest healthcare provider in the US, prior to its sale in 2007.

Prior to Triad Hospitals, Mr. Shelton was President of the Central Group of Columbia/HCA, where he had responsibility for 107 hospitals and 45 ambulatory surgery centers between 1993 and 1998. Beginning in 1986, Mr. Shelton served as a hospital administrator in multiple different states and was both Senior Vice President and Executive Vice President at National Medical Enterprises.

Mr. Shelton served on the Board of the Federation of American Hospitals for ten years (1991-2001) and as its Chairman in 1999. He served a three-year term on the Board of the American Hospital Association (2004-2006), during which he was a member of the executive committee. From 2001 through 2006 and again in 2008, he was recognized by Modern Healthcare as one of the 100 most influential people in healthcare in America.

In addition to his role on the , Mr. Shelton serves on the boards of three publicly traded companies—Omnicare, Inc. (NYSE: OCR), Ventas (NYSE: VTR), and Envision (NYSE: EVHC). At Omnicare, Mr. Shelton serves as the Chairman of the Board. He is also the Board Chairman of the Four Corners Global Outreach project, and serves as a senior advisor to CCMP, a private equity firm in New York.

A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, James D. Shelton received his B.A. in history from LSU in 1975 and an M.S. from the Graduate School of Public Administration (now the Harry S. Truman School of Public Affairs) at the University of Missouri, Columbia in 1977. In 2005, he was inducted into the LSU Alumni Hall of Distinction.

Michael Gratch

Founder and President, Chairman
Flow Therapy, LLC

Michael Gratch founded Flow Therapy (previously known as Legacy Heart Care) in 2003, in response to a recognized need for broader availability of a non-invasive treatment to the chronic ischemic population. Through his guidance and leadership, Flow Therapy has grown to be the nation’s largest provider of EECP treatments, as well as the recognized leader in quality. Michael served as an Executive Vice President at PhysAssist Scribe from 2010 through 2011. He was recognized as one of North Texas’ “40 under 40” in 2006 and has also been an active member of YPO since 2013.

Michael graduated from Dartmouth College in 2002 and earned All-Ivy League recognition on the football team.