After acquiring an ASC earlier this year, US Cardio Partners equipped it with a catheterization lab. The hybrid facility is now open to patients, CEO Cliff Crossett said in a phone interview with Becker's ASC Review.
Six things to know:
1. US Cardio, a management services company, purchased Henderson, Nev.-based Seven Hills Surgery Center Feb. 21. The multispecialty ASC was renovated to remove two operating rooms; it now has three. US Cardio is also changing the center's name to Seven Hills ASC.
2. Forty-three cardiac specialists have signed on as partners in the hybrid facility. Securing this kind of involvement was a one-and-a-half-year process that required some education around laws for hybrid facilities, Mr. Crossett said.
3. Right now, Seven Hills is at 100 percent patient satisfaction. It's also beloved by physicians and staff for its efficiency.
"They don't have to deal with all the ins and outs of hospitals, the slowdowns," Mr. Crossett said. "They love the turnover times."
4. The ASC's current volumes range from four to 10 cases a day. Due to the pandemic, projections about future volumes are hard to pin down.
5. When CMS approved percutaneous coronary interventions in the ASC setting for 2020, it was "the tipping point" for US Cardio, Mr. Crossett said. He believes CMS will continue encouraging outpatient migration with changes for 2021.
6. With payers striving to cut costs, the hybrid ASC/cath lab model will only continue to grow in popularity, according to Mr. Crossett. US Cardio has another hybrid scheduled to open next year in the Houston area, with 20 physician partners involved.