Successfully operating a cardiovascular service line requires collaboration between ASC administrators and physicians, according to a feature published by Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology.
Five more considerations for bringing cardiovascular cases to the ASC:
1. Determine whether there are opportunities to align with physicians outside of the healthcare system and to expand the service line's geographic targets.
2. Focus on maintaining profit margins by determining the level of support needed for success and by mastering physician scheduling, inventory management and contract negotiations.
3. With input from interventional providers, define precisely what services the ASC will offer, gauge what volumes those services would generate and understand how those levels would affect margins.
4. Be aware that nine states prohibit percutaneous coronary intervention in the ASC. Several others require prospective operators to gain certificate-of-need approval, affecting time to market.
5. Conduct a financial analysis that includes evaluation of case mix, payer contracts and costs of consumables.