Cardiology is a growing trend in ASCs, further affirmed by CMS' proposed rule for 2020, and expert insight.
Three things to know about cardiology:
1. CMS proposed adding six coronary intervention procedures — including cardiac stenting — to the list of covered surgical procedures at ASCs in 2020.
2. It's only a matter of time before more revenue-generating cardiology cases shift from hospitals to ASCs, a transition that has great implications for Medicare costs, according to Ronald Hirsch, MD. Dr. Hirsch spoke to Becker's ASC Review about the outpatient cardiology trend. Large cardiology groups could stand to gain from having at least one physician performing elective procedures at ASCs, he said.
3. One of the main hurdles to doing cardiac procedures in an ASC are regulations, according to an interview Becker's ASC Review did with Cardiac Centers of America CEO Tim Price. He said that regulations require heart procedures to be performed in settings that have the facilities for open heart surgery, but that these laws aren't sustainable because they impede the shift of procedures to the lower cost outpatient setting.