March/April 2008

Recent trial results, multidetector CT and new and more uses for the services and equipment of the traditional cardiac catheterization lab are impacting the bottom line of facilities across the country. These and more factors may have temporarily decreased cath lab procedures, but experts in the field predict recovery—albeit a changing face for the cath lab.

Cardiology is where radiology was about five years ago, says Joseph Marion, an independent consultant and principal of Healthcare Integration Strategies. While PACS was originally viewed as an image management solution, users eventually realized it was really an integration of images into the rest of the workflow. “The same thing is now starting to happen with cardiology, but because there are so many different players and systems, it’s a bit more of a challenge.”

The utilization of drug-eluting stents may be poised for a comeback based on recent clinical studies that found they have value despite some risks. Industry analysts, however, suggest that there their usage has plateaued and they can not maintain their initial groundbreaking sales. 

Analysts have predicted that peripheral endovascular procedures will dwarf cardiac procedures in short order. It’s no wonder, then, that an increasing number of cath labs have already begun the transition from single- to multi-specialty rooms.

The next time you hear the words “bottom-line” when you’re sitting in the weekly departmental meeting, don’t roll your eyes. Instead, think about all the ways that you as a leader who often spearheads projects can help to boost that bottom-line. Following are five proven ways to do so.

Cardiac cath labs operate in an increasingly challenging environment, contending with a variety of clinical, demographic, regulatory and competitive factors.