What happened to private cardiology practices?

“We’re starting to see that as hospitals come under greater pressure, there are a number of different alternatives that people are looking at when it comes to how physicians are employees. And actually, in some of our countries, we have even seen a union of doctors. hospitals across the country,” Biga explained.

Another notable trend Biga mentioned is the rise of private equity firms specializing in cardiology, indicating growing investor interest in this field. She said cardiology is just the latest area of ​​healthcare where private equity is involved, with private equity now owning large stakes in dermatology, ophthalmology and primary care.

While the potential benefits of private equity involvement are recognized, such as physicians’ retention of clinical autonomy, concerns have been raised about the influence of corporate management on medical decision-making, similar to insurance companies dictating care protocols.

“We are seeing private equity firms focusing exclusively on cardiology. Private equity in medicine is not new, it is something that already exists, but cardiology has attracted their attention in the last few years and we see this increasing. What we really need to do is make sure our physicians have options. I think our physician-led teams really need to be in charge of their destiny. They want to do what’s best for their patients they also want to take down the barriers. And what we see sometimes in some of our employee situations is that it becomes a little bit more difficult,” Biga said.

MSOs are a new business model for cardiology

Biga said a relatively new model of multistate operators (MSOs) is also expanding into cardiology. She said the MSO takes care of the back-office functions and administrative burdens that have become very complicated for standalone practices. She said an MSO can help reduce the burden on physicians, allowing cardiologists more time to practice medicine and lead their group.

“This allows your group to determine its own destiny and really look at where you want to go. A lot of that still depends on how our payment models work, but I think as we continue to see the elements of site neutrality, we will continue to do so. Look at the disparity in payments that exists in our current model, and that all of these things will become a reality in the coming years,” Biga said.

She emphasized the importance of physician training and understanding the implications of different employment models, emphasizing that there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

Measuring quality as OBLs and ASCs expand in cardiology

OBLs and ASCs are also becoming increasingly popular due to incentives to operate outside the traditional hospital setting, where costs are often lower. Biga underlined the ACC’s commitment to ensuring quality standards in all healthcare settings, with the college recently launching a registry specifically for outpatient procedures through the ACC’s National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR). By benchmarking data and prioritizing quality metrics, the ACC strives to maintain patient care standards regardless of the location where services are provided.

“I think best practices are really what we’re looking for. So no matter what the doctors and the government decide what can and cannot be done at different service locations, it is our job to ensure that quality does not increase. renunciation, so that the outcome for our patients, regardless of the side of the service, is always as high as possible,” says Biga.