Cardiology could be the next big growth opportunity for ASCs.
Here are five things to know about cardiology's outpatient growth:
1. Cardiology received the highest estimated Medicare payment increases for ASCs in 2021.
2. A 2020 Bain & Co. report projected that by the mid-2020s, 33 percent of cardiology procedures will be performed in ASCs, a 23 percent increase from 2018.
3. In June, Atlas Healthcare Partners, a company that manages and develops ASCs, partnered with MedAxiom to create a joint venture specializing in improving cardiovascular care in surgery centers.
4. In July, Aetna dropped its policy to not cover cardiac PET/CT scans following a joint letter from the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology and the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.
5. Private equity is also looking at cardiology for investments. In January, private equity firm Viper cited low concentration of private equity in cardiology, the nation's aging population and changes to Medicare and Medicaid rules as their reasons for pursuing the specialty.