Medtronic & GE Healthcare — A new collaboration to support the ASC and OBL segments

As some cardiovascular and neuromodulation procedures migrate from hospitals to outpatient settings in certain states, continued growth in the Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) and Office-Based Lab (OBL) space is expected. While the ASC and OBL segment is promising, opening a surgery center brings many business decisions which can often be overwhelming for physician owners. 

By working with knowledgeable, experienced market leaders, physicians may find they can acquire technologies for an ASC or OBL more efficiently and cost-effectively.  

Becker's ASC Review recently spoke with two healthcare experts from Medtronic and GE Healthcare about their companies' new collaboration, which is designed to support ASCs and OBLs:

  • Adam King, senior director U.S. enterprise accounts, Medtronic
  • Craig Dickinson, national sales director, interventional and ASC segment leader, GE Healthcare

Today’s segment for cardiovascular procedures is comparable to the orthopedics segment 10 years ago 

In January 2020, CMS released six new cardiovascular codes, allowing for percutaneous coronary intervention in ASC settings. These codes include procedures like single and double stenting, as well as diagnostic coronary work. 

"Currently, 23 states allow coronary work to be done in an ASC setting1 and we are seeing more states move in that direction," Mr. Dickinson said. "There's an enormous amount of focus in this area and demand has only grown as patients seek more care outside of the hospital due to COVID-19. There are parallels between cardiology today and what happened over the last decade in orthopedics, when total knees and total hips migrated out of the hospital into the ASC."

The Customer Choice Rebate Program may help ASCs and OBLs offset capital equipment costs  

When physicians open an ASC, they face many important decisions ranging from handling regulatory licensing and credentialing, to selecting furniture, purchasing equipment and supplies, and more. According to Mr. Dickinson, "I commonly hear physicians say, 'There are so many things I never realized I would have to tackle as I open my own company. I just want to be a doctor.'"

The Customer Choice Rebate Program may help simplify capital equipment purchases for ASC and OBL owners and thereby allow them to dedicate more time to patient care. 

"Imaging equipment tends to be one of the higher cost items that ASCs need to acquire for cardiovascular cases," Mr. King said. "With the rebate program, physicians have the option to apply rebates earned on purchases from a comprehensive portfolio of Medtronic medical devices to the acquisition of associated capital equipment."

Mr. Dickinson added, "One goal of this alliance is to help ASCs and OBLs navigate barriers to entry. The ASC and OBL segments are very cost-driven. We want to deliver exceptional technology at a fair and reasonable cost to physicians, helping position them to deliver the best possible care in their site of service space." 

ASC and OBL owners value the knowledge and expertise of Medtronic and GE Healthcare

As doctors break away from the hospital setting and move to ASCs and OBLs, they want flexibility and choice. By working with industry leaders like Medtronic and GE Healthcare, owners of these different sites can access innovative products, as well as additional services and support if needed. 

"In addition to offering capital equipment and consumable medical devices, our companies have a wealth of resources to help in alternate sites of service, such as reimbursement and coding support, digital assets, patient monitoring, and more," Mr. King said. "We can help across the board, so physicians can focus decision-making on what’s best for their patients and offer the same level of care in their ASC or OBL as patients would expect to receive in a hospital."

To learn more about new equipment as you build or expand an ASC or OBL, contact Medtronic at rsusascenterpriseteam@medtronic.com or GE at https://www.gehealthcare.com/specialties/outpatient-solutions.

References: 

1PCI at Ambulatory Surgical Centers: Quality Cannot Suffer, SCAI Says. Read more: https://www.tctmd.com/news/pci-ambulatory-surgical-centers-quality-cannot-suffer-scai-says

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