Changes in treatments and delivery of care are continually advancing for the cardiovascular service line. Eric Louie, MD, medical director at Sg2, a healthcare analytics and consulting firm, looks ahead at some of the developments that will influence the cardiovascular service line in the coming year.
Opportunities for growth
The following represent three areas of potential growth.
1. Minimally invasive treatments for structural heart disease. "We have new ways to treat structural heart disease problems that are minimally invasive and do not require surgery," says Dr. Louie. Many of these new treatments, however, can only be performed in a hybrid operating room. Hospitals may need to consider building hybrid ORs to provide their patients with the latest therapies.
2. Radial artery access for catheterization. Radial artery access is a new method of catheterization in which a catheter is placed in the wrist of a patient rather than the leg before a procedure. Radial artery access helps lower the number of patients who have to stay overnight after catheterization because this treatment makes it easier for the patient to move around soon after the procedure. This is cost effective for both the hospital and the patient, says Dr. Louie.
3. Electrophysiological treatment for arrhythmias. According to Dr. Louie, the treatment of arrhythmias through electrophysiological intervention is an area that will grow in 2013. These include treatments such as non-surgical ablation procedures in which a catheter is inserted into a specific area of the heart and energy is passed through it to destroy electrical pathways that cause arrythmias. These are useful for patients whose arrhythmias cannot be controlled by medication.
Pay-for-performance
A major shift happening in healthcare is the push from insurers to pay physicians for quality of outcomes rather than the volume of treatments. This involves rethinking the value of treatments and outcomes. The success of outcomes can no longer be measured based on the outcome of an individual procedure but will have to be based on a longer trajectory, says Dr. Louie.
This shift will continue into 2013. A critical element of evolving to meet this shift is emphasising physician collaboration and integration with the institution. Only clinicians can achieve better outcomes, but it is the institution that has the resources to bring in technology and other necessary elements. "There needs to be higher degrees of clinical integration and partnerships between clinicians and institutional providers," says Dr. Louie.
Dr. Louie is optimistic about developments in the cardiovascular service line in the year ahead. "We have the scientific wherewithal, but figuring out the best way to translate that knowledge into better and more effective treatments is what's important," he says.
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Opportunities for growth
The following represent three areas of potential growth.
1. Minimally invasive treatments for structural heart disease. "We have new ways to treat structural heart disease problems that are minimally invasive and do not require surgery," says Dr. Louie. Many of these new treatments, however, can only be performed in a hybrid operating room. Hospitals may need to consider building hybrid ORs to provide their patients with the latest therapies.
2. Radial artery access for catheterization. Radial artery access is a new method of catheterization in which a catheter is placed in the wrist of a patient rather than the leg before a procedure. Radial artery access helps lower the number of patients who have to stay overnight after catheterization because this treatment makes it easier for the patient to move around soon after the procedure. This is cost effective for both the hospital and the patient, says Dr. Louie.
3. Electrophysiological treatment for arrhythmias. According to Dr. Louie, the treatment of arrhythmias through electrophysiological intervention is an area that will grow in 2013. These include treatments such as non-surgical ablation procedures in which a catheter is inserted into a specific area of the heart and energy is passed through it to destroy electrical pathways that cause arrythmias. These are useful for patients whose arrhythmias cannot be controlled by medication.
Pay-for-performance
A major shift happening in healthcare is the push from insurers to pay physicians for quality of outcomes rather than the volume of treatments. This involves rethinking the value of treatments and outcomes. The success of outcomes can no longer be measured based on the outcome of an individual procedure but will have to be based on a longer trajectory, says Dr. Louie.
This shift will continue into 2013. A critical element of evolving to meet this shift is emphasising physician collaboration and integration with the institution. Only clinicians can achieve better outcomes, but it is the institution that has the resources to bring in technology and other necessary elements. "There needs to be higher degrees of clinical integration and partnerships between clinicians and institutional providers," says Dr. Louie.
Dr. Louie is optimistic about developments in the cardiovascular service line in the year ahead. "We have the scientific wherewithal, but figuring out the best way to translate that knowledge into better and more effective treatments is what's important," he says.
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