When determining growth strategies for cardiovascular and thoracic programs and services within your hospital or hospital system, it’s crucial to assess the demographic and competitive healthcare landscape of your service delivery area. Understanding the community (market) needs and determining the appropriate number of providers to support growth strategies is foundational. One approach involves utilizing specific…
As a consultant, I often evaluate cardiovascular services. Whether it is a large academic medical center with more than 1,000 beds, offering a full suite of cardiac services including complex cardiovascular surgery, or a small community hospital with less than 100 beds, offering limited cardiac services. The goal is always the same – to provide…
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…
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…
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…
What is ECMO? COVID-19 has presented healthcare with many challenges over the past two years, but an increasingly popular treatment has shown tremendous potential in saving the lives of a highly select population of patients. The treatment in question? Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO). In a general sense, ECMO is a technology that supports the work…
