According to a recent Health Affairs study, more than 300 new cardiac surgery programs opened between 1993 and 2004 even though the demand for bypass surgery declined.
The study used Medicare claims data to identify all hospitals that performed and billed bypass surgery during that timeframe, and overall, 42 percent of those new cardiac surgery programs opened in competitive markets.
More than 80 percent of the new programs opened within 30 miles of an existing program, and 55 percent opened within 10 miles of an existing program, suggesting services were duplicated while little was done to improve geographic access, the study said. Newer programs were also more likely to open in states that did not require a certificate-of-need.
Read the Health Affairs study on cardiac surgery programs.
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The study used Medicare claims data to identify all hospitals that performed and billed bypass surgery during that timeframe, and overall, 42 percent of those new cardiac surgery programs opened in competitive markets.
More than 80 percent of the new programs opened within 30 miles of an existing program, and 55 percent opened within 10 miles of an existing program, suggesting services were duplicated while little was done to improve geographic access, the study said. Newer programs were also more likely to open in states that did not require a certificate-of-need.
Read the Health Affairs study on cardiac surgery programs.
Related Articles on Cardiology:
Construction Under Way on California's Scripps Cardiovascular Institute
Florida Medical Center Cites Money as Cause for Closing Cardiac Rehab Center
Study: Nearly 70K Die Per Year Due to Undelivered Heart Therapy