Economics

This channel highlights factors that impact hospital and healthcare economics and revenue. This includes news on healthcare policies, reimbursement, marketing, business plans, mergers and acquisitions, supply chain, salaries, staffing, and the implementation of a cost-effective environment for patients and providers.

Kate Hanneman, MD, University Of Toronto, explains why vendors and hospitals are increasingly discussing lowing their carbon footprint by starting with radiology. 

What does radiology have to do with climate change?

Kate Hanneman, MD, explains why many vendors and hospitals want to lower radiology's impact on the environment. "Taking steps to reduce the carbon footprint in healthcare isn’t just an opportunity," she said. "It’s also a responsibility."

March 1, 2024
Money court lawsuit judge ruling scales of justice

Healthcare fraud: DOJ recovered $1.9B in 2023, including several key settlements related to cardiology

The Department of Justice spent a substantial amount of time and energy targeting healthcare fraud in 2023, according to a new 80-page report. Some of the year's biggest settlements involved cardiac surgery and cardiac imaging. 

March 1, 2024
Left, the FIRE1 heart failure remote monitoring device that gets implanted into the IVC to measure fluid volume status. Right, the external belt monitoring device worn by the patient that can alert clinicians about status changes so interventions can be done before a patient requires a hospital admission. 

Early feasibility study for implantable heart failure monitor moves forward 

Startup vendor FIRE1 completed patient enrollment in its U.S. early feasibility study for a heart failure remote monitoring device that directly measures fluid volume inside the IVC.

February 28, 2024
Pricing for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) varies significantly throughout the United States, according to new findings published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.[1] Researchers emphasized that higher prices were not necessarily associated with better patient outcomes. Photo by Karolina Grabowska via Pexels

Heart surgery prices vary from one part of the US to the next

Researchers explored the costs associated with CABG at more than 500 U.S. hospitals. 

February 27, 2024
Carrie Redick RN MSN NEA-BC, director of interventional cardiology and structural heart, Morristown Medical Center, Atlantic Health System, explains the need for financial literacy among structural heart program directors at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular therapeutics (TCT) 2023 meeting.

Why financial literacy is so important for structural heart program directors

Carrie Redick, an ICU nurse for nearly 20 years, said understanding more about financial data improved her ability to acquire funding and other resources for her program when necessary. 

February 27, 2024
artificial intelligence AI heart cardiology

Cleerly’s AI software for noninvasive FFR estimates receives a Category 1 CPT code

The company officially launched its Cleerly ISCHEMIA software for delivering noninvasive evaluations of CCTA exams in early 2024. This update provides a closer look at the software from a billing perspective. 

February 23, 2024
Elderly patient doctor. Despite an expanded indication from the FDA and lower prices, patient access to these cholesterol-lowering medications remains a significant issue.

Insurance plans still denying more claims for PCSK9 inhibitors than other cardiovascular drugs

Despite an expanded indication from the FDA and lower prices, patient access to these cholesterol-lowering medications remains a significant issue.

February 22, 2024
An example of cardiac MRI myocardial blood flow reserve (MBFR) imaging. Image courtesy of https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics10090679

Imaging group thrilled with new CPT codes for MBFR measurements

The Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance applauded two new CPT Category III codes for myocardial blood flow reserve (MBFR) assessments.

February 16, 2024

Around the web

Eleven medical societies have signed on to a consensus statement aimed at standardizing imaging for suspected cardiovascular infections.

Kate Hanneman, MD, explains why many vendors and hospitals want to lower radiology's impact on the environment. "Taking steps to reduce the carbon footprint in healthcare isn’t just an opportunity," she said. "It’s also a responsibility."

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