Cardiology procedures are continuing to migrate to the ASC setting, leaders said at a March 22 California Ambulatory Surgery Association summit with payers and industry stakeholders.
Here are three points on cardiology migration according to Kyle Michaelis, MD, a cardiologist at Sacramento (Calif.) Heart and Vascular, and Alex Bolanos, vice president of corporate development at United Surgical Partners International, who spoke at the event.
- California has legal restrictions against doing certain cardiac procedures in an ASC that are already being performed in other states, Dr. Michaelis said, according to an email shared with Becker's. He proposed that due to the proven safety of cardiology and vascular procedures, California should update its laws.
- Procedures safely performed in ASCs include pacemaker/ICD insertion, vascular angiogram and percutaneous intervention; the risk for these procedures remains low because there is a minimal sedation, they are minimally invasive and procedure times are short.
- CMS added cardiac diagnostic and interventional procedures to its ASC-approved list in 2019 and 2020. Currently, all but five states allow certain cardiac procedures in the ASC setting.