Appropriately staff the cath lab

Dana Pfenninger Khan on August 30, 2012  |  Permalink

Topics: Service Lines, Cardiovascular, Cardiac Cath

We've recently fielded a number of questions related to cath lab staffing ratios and skill mix. These questions arise as a result of several key market dynamics that impact procedure suites, including softening PCI volumes, tightening margins, and procedures shifting to the outpatient setting.

Given these pressures, CV programs are strengthening efforts to adjust staffing in high-cost areas such as interventional suites, or redeploying the workforce according to areas of greatest need.

Roundtable members can access a suite of resources to benchmark cath lab staffing ratios and learn how to optimize the workforce.

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Appropriately staff the cath lab

French study finds high transfusion rate following TAVR

on August 28, 2012  |  Permalink

Topics: Service Lines, Cardiovascular

Carly Anderson, Cardiovascular Roundtable

2012 has brought enthusiasm and attention to the novel transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure. Despite this widespread interest, a number of recent studies have questioned the long-term outcomes and value of the procedure.

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French study finds high transfusion rate following TAVR

JAAPA study: Cardiac surgery PAs provide as safe, effective first-assist care as physicians

on August 21, 2012  |  Permalink

Topics: Cardiac Surgery, Cardiovascular, Service Lines, Midlevel Providers, Strategy, Staffing, Efficiency, Performance Improvement

Nicole MacMillan, Cardiovascular Roundtable

Physician assistants (PAs) are as safe and efficacious as physicians when assisting in cardiac surgeries, says a single-center study recently published in the Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants.

Results showed no differences in outcomes when comparing cases first-assisted by PAs to those assisted by physicians or surgeons (MDs), lending credence to the notion described in an accompanying commentary that CV PAs are "invaluable surgical partners in every sense of the word" to those they are aiding.

Studies proliferate as PAs become essential

Studies like these serve to support more widespread use and recognition of physician assistants, particularly at a time when hospital budgets are increasingly tight and providers need to focus on appropriate allocation of all staffing dollars.

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JAAPA study: Cardiac surgery PAs provide as safe, effective first-assist care as physicians