July/August 2008

Cardiac cath lab at the University of California San Diego Health System in La Jolla.

Planning and creating the best cath lab for your facility and market requires a wide range of considerations, from current and future business patterns to space design to workflow and communication concerns. A good plan that includes input from all the relevant stakeholders goes a long way toward a successful long-term venture.

With an aging population and the rise of obesity, cardiologists are seeing a tremendous increase in the growth of cardiovascular diseases, and noninvasive imaging is playing an increasingly critical role in diagnosis and management.

Seamlessly integrating ECG information into electronic medical records is imperative in today’s totally connected medical enterprise. Managing ECG image capture and report generation leads to a more efficient use of resources, as well as better patient outcomes.

As multifunctional cardiac catheterization labs see new cardiovascular products constantly arriving and old ones getting pushed to the back shelves, administrators need a well-organized storage space, as well as a sophisticated method for integrated inventory management to control costs and revenue.

In today’s healthcare reimbursement scene, reimbursement in cardiology per procedure code tends to be declining. Along with flat or declining volumes and increasing overhead costs, many shareholders are experiencing a downslope in income. Thousands of dollars can be recouped, as well as costly penalties avoided, by paying close attention to billing and coding.

“Twenty years ago, it was still possible to come out of school, hang your shingle and learn on the job. That’s not true today,” said Ronald N. Riner, MD, president of The Riner Group, during an interview about what practices can do to weather the storm of declining reimbursement.

Today’s uncertain healthcare environment has spurred a new wave of medical practice buy-outs, mergers and purchases. Cardiology practices, which were previously perceived as being impervious to purchase offers by hospitals, are now becoming targets for purchase.

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