Leaders from four cardiology hospitals that were ranked among the best by U.S. News & World Report shared with Becker's what they would change about cardiology care.
Question: If you could change one thing about cardiac care, what would it be?
Editor's note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD. President of Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital and Physician-in-Chief of the Mount Sinai Hospital (New York City): The issue of primordial prevention. We strongly believe that whatever happens in our young age has implications when we are adults. If we teach health at an earlier age, we will probably be much more conscious of the importance of health later on in life. I am working with the television program "Sesame Street" as a muppet called Dr. Ruster. We are hoping to develop this in a very expansive way across the world to promote primordial prevention. To move from disease to health, trying to prevent disease by better understanding health.
Eduardo Marbán, MD, PhD. Executive Director of the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai (Los Angeles) and the Mark S. Siegel Family Foundation Distinguished Professor: Less time spent dealing with insurers and compliance enforcers.
Lars Svensson, MD, PhD. Chief of the Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute at Cleveland Clinic: We should have more emphasis on reimbursement for prevention and encouragement of a healthy lifestyle.
Jonathan Weinsaft, MD. Chief of Cardiology at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medicine (New York City): Despite advances in diagnosis and therapeutics, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of mortality in the United States and a leading cause of morbidity. To address this, we need to dramatically improve our ability to translate technological and research innovations to at-risk communities and to develop cardiovascular care models that are innovative, cost-effective and sustainable. These goals are a major area of our focus and one that we are working actively on as we collaborate throughout the NewYork-Presbyterian enterprise to improve cardiovascular outcomes.
Read about the challenges these leaders are facing here and the best leadership advice they have ever received here.