Magazine

As a growing body of evidence links palliative care to improved quality of life and better healthcare utilization for patients with heart failure, some in the medical community are advocating a shift from the traditionalist, acute care model to one more in tune with the psychological and physical needs of people with advanced cardiovascular disease.

As the healthcare landscape continues its tectonic shifts, the old pillars—siloed organizations, unchallenged leadership, see-through accountability—are starting to totter. In their place new models are emerging, like the dyad, which pairs a respected physician leader with an accomplished administrative head to enable hospital systems and medical practices to more effectively manage their complex operations and, as importantly, stay ahead of change.

The approval of two new Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes acknowledges echocardiographic myocardial strain imaging and myocardial contrast perfusion echocardiography as emerging technologies, often a necessary step before a code is promoted to payable status.

We are living in a data-rich, information-poor era of healthcare, with what feels like a chasm between where we are and where we aim to be with patients’ outcomes, quality improvement and practice growth. The gulf is overflowing with data that are both the key to our success and the hurdle holding us back.