Hattiesburg, Miss.-based Forrest General Hospital and the Hattiesburg Clinic partnered to open Mississippi's first ambulatory cardiovascular surgery center, ABC and NBC affiliate WDAM reported Sept. 27.

ASCs have seen a massive opportunity for growth in cardiology in the last few years, as payers and CMS see financial gain in performing these procedures in the ASC setting. 

Cleveland Clinic topped Newsweek's latest rankings for the world's best hospitals for cardiology.

Costs of procedures vary between ASCs and HOPDs, with cardiology procedures for those with original Medicare and no supplement usually being cheaper at ASCs, according to data from Medicare.gov.

Here is where cardiology stands today through the lenses of salary, ASC statistics and more.

Sioux City, Iowa-based MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center's former cardiovascular director is suing the hospital in state court, alleging she was fired for reporting safety and malpractice concerns about a heart surgeon, the Sioux City Journal reported Aug. 30.

Lake Forest, Ill., cardiologist Krishnaswami Sriram, MD, was charged with tax evasion and filing false returns for himself and his children, the Justice Department said Aug. 26.

Bend, Ore.-based vascular practice Inovia Vein Specialty Centers is expanding its surgical team.

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho-based Kootenai Health is building a $40 million heart center and outpatient surgery expansion that will create the capacity for more than 20 new physicians, the Coeur d'Alene Press reported Aug. 16.

A new outpatient cardiovascular tower and four more cardiology updates Becker's has reported on since July 15:

Cardiovascular Institute of the South founder and cardiologist Craig Walker, MD, performed the nation's first stent implant using Biotronik's Pulsar-18 T3 to treat an artery blockage in the legs, Biz New Orleans reported Aug. 5.

Warren, N.J., cardiologist Raymond Catania, DO, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for illegal opioid prescriptions, the Justice Department said July 27.

Medical devicemaker Biotronik is paying $12.95 million to resolve allegations that it paid kickbacks to physicians in exchange for their use of the company's implantable cardiac devices, the Justice Department said July 22.

Greensboro, N.C.-based Cone Health is building an outpatient cardiovascular tower at Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital, Triad Business Journal Journal reported July 22.

Cardiology procedures are one of the biggest opportunities for growth for ASCs, according to some ASC leaders. 

Alaska is the most expensive state to receive a cardiac catheterization procedure, according to Sidecar Health's care calculator.

Cardiology is the fifth-wealthiest speciality, according to Medscape's "Physician Wealth & Debt Report 2022."

Here are five cardiology updates for ASC leaders to know, gleaned from stories Becker's has covered since May 11:

North Dakota is the best state for cardiologists to live and work in 2022 while Virginia is the worst, according to career website Zippia.

The average annual salary for cardiologists in the U.S. is $227,000, according to career website Zippia, with the highest being in Alaska and the lowest in Hawaii.