on December 21, 2011 |
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Topics: Cardiovascular, Service Lines, Quality, Performance Improvement, Chronic Care Management, Methodologies, Screening and Prevention
Nicole MacMillan
Last week, the American Heart Association published the 2012 update to their Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics online in the journal Circulation. Overall, mortality rates for cardiovascular disease (CVD) continued their decline, while obesity rates and spending on CVD continue to rise. The statistics are not altogether surprising, as they are reflective of the gains US providers have made in the acute-care setting, while significant opportunity remains to improve on preventive care.
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2012 AHA Heart Disease and Stroke Statistical Update Calls for Increased Preventive Care Efforts
Brian Maher on December 20, 2011 |
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Topics: Cardiac Cath, Cardiovascular, Service Lines, Appropriateness, Quality, Performance Improvement, Evidence-Based Practice, Methodologies, Accountable Care, Market Trends, Strategy, Payer and Regulatory Policy
In response to numerous well-documented claims of inappropriate PCI services at select hospitals in recent years, the Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC) formed the Technical Advisory Group on Oversight of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Services to make statutory and non-statutory recommendations for enhancing the oversight of PCI operators in the state. After several months of meetings and analysis, the Technical Advisory Group released its summary report, offering eight specific recommendations to help ensure state hospitals and operators are delivering clinically appropriate PCI services.
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Maryland Advisory Group Offers Recommendations for State Oversight of PCI Services
on December 19, 2011 |
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Topics: Cardiac Cath, Cardiovascular, Service Lines, Cardiac Surgery, Access to Care, Quality, Performance Improvement, Outcomes, Market Trends, Strategy
Megan Tooley
Last month, the Roundtable reported on the results of the CPORT-E (Cardiovascular Patient Outcomes Research Team-Elective) trial, which found that patients who received elective percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) at hospitals without cardiac surgery on-site (SOS) did not have worse outcomes than patients who underwent the same procedure at hospitals with surgery backup. Now, a large meta-analysis offering further evidence of the safety of PCI without SOS, as well as a survey evaluating the opinions of cardiologists on this practice, have opened the door for heated discussion in the industry over the necessity and implications of PCI-only programs.
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New evidence supports safety of PCI without SOS, but debate rages on
