Corazon Blog

Get the latest news from The Service Line Experts

Corazon’s goal in launching this interactive space is to provide our clients and colleagues in the industry with news and updates; informative posts; company offerings; and other announcements, items, or articles relevant to the cardiovascular, neuroscience, spine, and orthopedics specialties. The Service Line Experts hope this will be a stop in your search for relevant, helpful, and worthwhile information while out on the internet! Corazon’s mission has always been to create meaningful client relationships and share advice and solutions for the challenges hospitals and practices face today. Bookmark this page and be sure to check back for ongoing updates!

Roll Out the Red Carpet

By 2030, the American Medical College is predicting a shortage of 124,000 physicians in both primary and specialty care, with this number continuing to increase post COVID-19. To attract and hire top talent, in a competitive environment, it is more important than ever for healthcare organizations to “Roll Out the Red Carpet” when interviewing physicians. According…

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Journey to Thrombectomy Capable: A Roadmap for Stroke Care

Within the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, the advancement of stroke care has marked a significant progression towards more effective and specialized treatments. A noteworthy achievement in this trajectory is the systematic transition from primary stroke care to the attainment of thrombectomy-capable status. Primary stroke care, as the foundational tier of treatment, is meticulously designed to…

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Elements of Building a TAVR Program

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) involve procedures to replace a damaged aortic valve with a prosthetic one through minimally invasive techniques. Building a TAVR program requires careful planning that includes collaboration and adherence to both medical and regulatory standards. Below are some overarching steps that need to be done to build a successful TAVR program.…

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Resuscitation After Cardiac Surgery

Every year, as many as 400,000 patients will undergo major cardiac surgery operations with anywhere from 0.7% to 8% experiencing post-surgery cardiac arrest requiring resuscitation. Advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) continues to be the standard approach in the management of those experiencing cardiac arrest. While it can be an effective approach it is not the…

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Total Joint Replacement: Then Vs. Now

Total joint replacements have been a game changer in the world of orthopedics, helping millions of people suffering from joint pain and arthritis to lead a more active and pain-free life. In the past, joint replacements were performed in a hospital setting and patients would need to stay for several days after the procedure. However,…

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Unlocking the Potential: The Remarkable Benefits of Corazon TAVR Accreditation

In the ever-evolving field of healthcare, advancements in technology have paved the way for innovative treatments that promise better outcomes and improved quality of life for patients. Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) is one such revolutionary procedure that has transformed the management of aortic valve diseases, offering a less invasive alternative to traditional open-heart surgery.…

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Perioperative Services – Overview and Optimization Strategies

Perioperative services refer to the care provided to patients before, during, and after a surgical procedure. These services are designed to ensure safe and effective surgical care and are delivered by a team of healthcare professionals, including surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and support staff. Perioperative services begin with preoperative care, which includes patient evaluation and preparation…

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Navigating Geriatric Cardiac Care: Dr. Steven Harrington’s Surgical Considerations

Surgical Evaluation of Geriatric Patients by Dr. Steven Harrington:   The heart, a remarkable organ that beats tirelessly throughout our lives, requires specialized care as we age. Ensuring its health means not only practicing heart-healthy lifestyle measures but also understanding the unique challenges the geriatric heart faces, particularly when surgical interventions come into play. In…

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2023 Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention of Acute Kidney Injury after Adult Cardiac Surgery

The Relationship Between Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) and Cardiac Surgery Acute kidney injury (AKI) occurs in 15% to 50% of adults undergoing cardiac surgery.  The definition of AKI is defined by a 0.3mg/dL or 50% increase in serum creatinine from the patients’ baseline or oliguria.  After using a comprehensive review of the literature, including pharmacologic…

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OBL vs ASC: Which Strategy is Right for You?

Choosing the Right Delivery Model Traditionally, vascular and cardiac procedures were performed in hospital-based operating rooms or specialized interventional suites. However, advancements in technology and changes in healthcare delivery models have led to the emergence of Office-based labs (OBL) and ambulatory surgery centers (ASC) as an alternative setting for certain procedures. The concept of office-based…

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why your hospital should hire a consultant

Revenue Enhancement in Hospitals: The Case for Hiring Healthcare Consultants

Hospitals and health systems continue to face demanding conditions and financial challenges well into 2023, including increased administrative expenses, a healthcare worker shortage, and increased labor costs. And although there has been a stabilization in operating margins over the past several months according to several industry reports, the trendline continues to show some organizations remain…

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Corazon & SCAI Partnership Graphic

Why Accreditation Matters for Elevating Cardiovascular Care

Elevating Program Quality and Cardiovascular Patient Care We all understand the vital role that a robust cardiovascular program plays in a healthcare facility. Ensuring a quality level of patient care, achieving superior outcomes, and maintaining financial stability are key objectives for any organization. However, in an evolving healthcare landscape, how can you make your cardiovascular…

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The Essential Role of Service Line Administrators in Physician Recruitment: A Collaborative Approach

Involving Service Line Administrators in Physician Recruitment   In the world of healthcare, the recruitment of qualified physicians is a critical component in the provision of quality care to patients.  The hiring process is not just about finding candidates with the right credentials, but also about ensuring that the physicians have a shared vision for…

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5 Tips to Avoid Common Recruitment Pitfalls

In the current job market, finding qualified candidates can be challenging. However, there are common mistakes made by hospitals and health systems that can make the search process even more difficult. As a result, it’s important to realize that you are competing for every position with those who are doing it right. Great candidates have high…

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Building the Puzzle

“A leader takes people where they would never go on their own.” – Hans Finzel Everyone, at some point in their lives, has built a jigsaw puzzle. Let us take a moment to reflect on that time, as that is where we’ll uncover today’s leadership lesson. OK. You just dumped out all the puzzle pieces…

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Medicare’s CY 2023 Physician Fee Schedule Telehealth Update: What You Need to Know

The Medicare telehealth update for the physician fee schedule during 2023 is set to bring significant changes to the healthcare industry. Medicare telehealth services have become increasingly popular in recent years, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated the adoption of telehealth services. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recognizes the importance of…

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cardiac care excellence award

26 Corazon, Inc. Clients Recognized as a Best Hospital for Cardiac Care in 2023

Cardiac Care Excellence Awards Twenty-six Corazon, Inc. partner hospitals were recently bestowed a “Cardiac Care Excellence Award” by Healthgrades as part of their annual Specialty Excellence Awards. This award serves to recognize hospitals “that deliver superior patient outcomes in heart bypass surgery, coronary interventional procedures, heart attack treatment, heart failure treatment, and heart valve surgery.”…

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Why Consider Open-Heart Surgery Program Accreditation?

Open-Heart Surgery: A Cornerstone Cardiovascular Program Open-heart surgery (OHS) has long been a cornerstone of cardiovascular patient care as it encompasses some of the most clinically complex procedures that can be performed to support, renew, or improve heart function in patients. The term typically includes coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) and surgical heart valve replacement…

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Combatting Peripheral Artery Disease with Peripheral Vascular Intervention Accreditation

Treating Peripheral Vascular Disease Within the past 30-40 years, there has been a technological revolution in the treatment of peripheral vascular disease. Unfortunately, the healthcare industry has not always kept up with the advancements in care and in some areas, has fallen far below the potential level that is achievable. The impact on the industry…

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Cardiac Surgery in 2023 and Beyond

The introduction of cardiopulmonary bypass in the 1950s revolutionized the field of cardiac surgery. Fast forward to today and we are seeing how technology, innovation, and consumer demand drive the move towards less invasive methods of treatment. This move does not represent a decline in cardiac surgery, but an evolution in the way health care…

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Systemness as it Applies to Perioperative Services

What is “system-ness”? “Systemness” is the ability to provide a consistent experience for patients, providers, and hospital staff regardless of the care setting across the continuum. It can improve patient and provider experience, lower costs, improve quality patient care, reduce risk, and increase growth. However, achieving systemness can be quite challenging. Some believe that simply having an established common…

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I Wish I Knew Then…

Having over 40 years working in healthcare with 25 of those as a healthcare executive, I learned many lessons, most of which I wish I knew when I was a young man and an inexperienced executive. Over time, I came to learn that not all lessons are learned in the classroom. Here are three that I…

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Breaking the Habit of Complacency

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” – Henry Ford “Because this is the way we’ve always done it”. Most of us have heard this phrase or a form of it at some point in our lives or careers. It’s like the work version of your parents saying, “because…

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Corazon Accreditation Seal

The Value of Cardiovascular Accreditation

What is the Value of Corazon’s Cardiovascular Accreditation? Corazon is known for accrediting cardiovascular programs of all sizes throughout the United States. Unlike other accrediting bodies, however, Corazon Accreditation is more than just a means to achieve state requirements. We are a strategic partner, one whose value comes from a collaborative and consultative approach to…

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Resiliency vs Burnout in Healthcare

  Authored by Carol Wesley, RN, MSN/MHA   Resiliency. I remember hearing that word a lot throughout nursing school and then during my career. But what exactly is resiliency? Is it something that is inherited, or simply learned over time? Resilience is a useful and highly adaptive trait that is described as the ability to…

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Cardiac Cath Laboratory Efficiency

Have you ever wondered whether your cardiac cath lab was running as efficiently as possible? Would you be able to gauge its efficiency? And most importantly, are these considerations even important? Well, in this ever-changing healthcare environment, it is of the utmost importance to be able to deliver services in a cost-effective manner while maintaining…

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The Women Who Shaped Modern Healthcare

The Women Who Shaped Modern Healthcare Over the course of history, women have made tremendous contributions to the field of healthcare, both as care providers and as pioneers in medical research. Despite facing significant barriers and discrimination throughout history, many women persevered and achieved breakthroughs in their fields, paving the way for future generations of…

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Final CMS Payment Systems for CY22

As a follow up to the October 18, 2021 blog post, “The FY 2022 Reimbursement Outlook,” CMS has since finalized the 3 rulings for the following payments systems: (1) Hospital Outpatient Payments (2) Ambulatory Surgery Center Payments, and (3) Physician Fee Schedule Payments.  All three rulings will go into effect on January 1, 2022.  Below…

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Accreditation Assurances Can Lead to Media Celebrations

Promoting Your Cardiovascular Accreditation With the continued rise of social media use across many and varied platforms, most of us are used to seeing near-constant posts and messages about the accomplishments of our peers, friends, and colleagues.  This can naturally lead to self-reflection and -comparison.  And sometimes, parallels emerge between our personal and professional lives,…

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Expansion of EP Services

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common heart arrhythmia, and according to the CDC, its prevalence has only been increasing, a trend that will continue.  In fact, estimates reveal that 12.1 million people in the United States will have AF by 2030 (CDC, 2021).  However, it is encouraging that steady progress and advances in novel…

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The FY 2022 Reimbursement Outlook

Healthcare is an ever-changing entity – so it’s no wonder hospitals can encounter difficulty with keeping aware of reimbursement updates, especially while enduring a pandemic and all of its challenges to our industry over the last 18 months!  If you didn’t get a chance to read the 700+ page Federal Register, the summary below includes…

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Updated Clinical Practice Guidelines on Patient Blood Management

Earlier this year, on June 30th, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, in partnership with other organizations, released updated blood conservation clinical practice guidelines addressing an evidenced-based, multi-modal, and multi-disciplinary approach to conserving blood resources, in addition to optimizing outcomes in patients at high risk for transfusion. These guidelines have…

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Strategic planning for growth post COVID

The coronavirus (COVID-19) fundamentally changed the landscape of hospitals and health systems in 2020 and leaders are now charged with developing post-pandemic growth strategies which involve developing priorities that reflect a new reality. In order to not only survive but to grow and thrive post COVID, hospital and healthcare system leaders need to be forward-thinking…

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Raising the Bar in PV Care

Before joining Corazon’s team of experts, I was fortunate to spend my last clinical assignment in a peripheral-vascular lab. Our services covered PAD (peripheral artery disease), but we also cared for a huge population of renal fistula/catheter patients. Due to the reoccurrence of problems involved with renal access sites, our renal patients returned on a…

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Initial Considerations for Successful PCI Program Expansion to Open Heart Surgery

Many hospitals nationwide have seen the benefits of expanding invasive cardiac services to include PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) without open heart surgery on-site.   Although these hospitals have the opportunity to provide advanced interventional cardiac care, they are limited as per the SCAI/ACC/AHA Expert Consensus Document:  Update on Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Without On-Site Surgical Backup that…

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Optimizing your TAVR Program

A recent article in Circulation, published online ahead of print, addressed a retrospective cohort study using data from the STS/ACC TVT Registry which concluded that significant differences in the quality of TAVR care exists, particularly, variations in mortality and major complications after TAVR procedures in the United States (Desai et al, 2021). The study also…

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Advocating for our Healthcare

Working in the industry, whether as a clinician at the patient bedside; in Administration or a Quality, Finance, or Ancillary Department; as a supply or equipment vendor; or in healthcare consulting, we can all relate to the importance of patient advocacy and the reason behind why many of us have chosen to join the remarkable…

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The Business Case for TAVR

WHY TAVR? When TAVR first emerged, this procedure was primarily performed in academic, quaternary, tertiary-type centers. But as time goes on, more and more community-based open-heart centers are offering TAVR as well. There is no question that TAVR is growing at a rapid pace, but there are many more entrants into the market. At Corazon…

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Transitioning into a Service Line Structure

In the past, hospitals were organized around departments or services like the catheterization lab, non-invasive labs, outpatient cardiology offices, etc.  In contrast, a service line is organized around programs or patient types regardless of where they originate (inpatient, outpatient, and ambulatory care centers).  The goal of organizing this way is to create value by leveraging…

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Quality Cannot Take a Back Seat, Even in a Pandemic

Quality has always been a factor that carries significant weight among consumers when seeking new products or services. When considering quality in healthcare, it is the foundation upon which a strong reputation and overall success of an organization is built. Certainly, consumers are driven to healthcare institutions that pride themselves on high-quality care, and many…

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Regulatory Changes in Cardiac Care

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was first introduced in 1974 by pioneer Andreas Grüntzig and has evolved to include multiple devices in the treatment of complex coronary anatomy.  The use of PCI has progressively grown over the past 30 years, mostly in part due to expanded indications, improved equipment, the continued evolution of coronary stents, along…

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TAVR: The New Standard of Care?

The new ACC valvular heart disease guidelines, released in 2020, recognize the expanding role of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and the intervention choices available for a patient with severe aortic stenosis.  This focused update provides evidence-based recommendations to optimize care and management of patients with valvular heart disease, and highlights the expanding indications for…

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Neuro-interventions in the Cardiac Cath Lab?

Savvy organizations can realize great success with cardiac procedural volumes in their cath labs with clinical excellence, operational efficiency, and positive impact on the bottom line.  But sustaining volume or growing for the future can be a bit more challenging, especially in these uncertain times. Discussions around program growth are usually accompanied by questions about…

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Women’s Specialty Centers by Vicki Lucas

Women’s Specialty Centers (WSC) are often a collaboration between service lines as a business development strategy that benefits both partners.  For example, Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU) has a National Center for Excellence in Women’s Health (WHC) and the Knight Cardio-vascular Institute (KCI).  Both are well-funded and nationally recognized but they previously lived in…

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Best Practice Perspectives: External Peer Review

The concept of peer review within healthcare service lines can be likened to a type of preventive maintenance, much like hospital equipment  that involves regularly-scheduled check-ups to avoid a costly fix.   Because, why wait for an event to trigger an investigative review and subsequent expensive repair or replacement?  In many situations the “retrospective” review comes…

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Interim Professionals: A Value Proposition With Results

Why Interim Professionals in Healthcare? Turnover in a hospital or physician practice setting is inevitable, but within the healthcare industry, continuity and consistency are the hallmarks of an efficient, effective service line – the foundation of all successful specialty programs.  With continual changes in reimbursement, regulations, and an increasingly competitive landscape for talent, losing key…

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Corazon’s Levels of Accreditation

The cardiovascular service line continues to be a primary focus for regulatory bodies, quality groups, and professional clinical organizations, and as a result, remains competitive for hospitals in markets across the country. Many hospital leaders need to consider strategies for market distinction, including program accreditation. Gaining momentum as a differentiator, formal accreditation of either the…

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Facts about Atrial Fibrillation

At this time last year, could anyone have thought that the world would be facing a near year-long global pandemic caused by a novel coronavirus (COVID-19)? In consideration of the ongoing shortage of hospital beds in many areas across the country, now more than ever the healthcare industry as a whole needs to be mindful…

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“Post” COVID-19

As the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s easy to question what the future may hold from a personal, professional, and economic perspective, especially when considering the virus continues to spread with hospitalization and mortality rates still increasing daily in many areas of the country. Additional lingering concerns: Social distancing measures that…

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Patient Navigation for Spine

In celebration of World Spine Day 2020 today, always on October 16, Corazon wants to support the mission of calling attention to the importance of spinal health, along with the need for effective programmatic organization and management of spine care.  Spine is a core specialty for many hospitals, and continues to offer the potential to…

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Placement Strategies in the Social Media World: What works and what doesn’t

Industry debate regarding the best way to recruit for healthcare positions in today’s competitive and pandemic-affected market is at an all-time high. Healthcare recruiters of younger generations support social media strategies, citing how this approach saves time, increases reach, and multiplies efficiency, while more traditionalist recruiters swear by more enduring methods like phone calls, job…

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COVID-19 Impact on Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Volumes

Since COVID-19 showed up in December of 2019, every area of medicine has been affected, and Cardiology is no exception. The number of cases cardiologists have performed since the coronavirus pandemic began has drastically declined. Corazon accredits cardiovascular catheterization labs across the country to perform percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs). Through this accreditation, we monitor client…

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COVID-19: The New Normal

In this new normal for the healthcare industry, we can’t escape asking clients and colleagues how COVID-19 has affected current service offerings.  While bracing for change was something to prioritize and evaluate during the early months of the pandemic, now we see hospitals getting ‘back to business.’ All hospitals should now be working to restart…

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9 Key Clinical and Business Facts to Grow Your Peripheral Vascular Program

In our ever-challenging industry, hospitals across the country have begun to enhance their capabilities in the cath lab by augmenting like-volume procedures.  Typically, cardiac procedures such as diagnostic catheterizations and coronary intervention (i.e., PCI) have ruled lab utilization, but due to declining inpatient volume trends, technology advances, and focus on more complex procedures such as…

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Welcome to Corazon’s Blog

Welcome to Corazon’s  Blog! Our goal in launching this interactive space is to provide our clients and colleagues in the industry with news and updates; informative posts; company offerings; and other announcements, items, or articles relevant to the cardiovascular, neuroscience, and orthopedics specialties.  We hope this will be a stop in your search for relevant,…

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