CONSOLIDATING CARDIOVASCULAR CLINICAL SERVICES

Considering Consolidation of Your Cardiovascular Services?

With the nationwide decline in adult cardiac surgery and diagnostic and interventional cardiac cath procedure volumes over the last decade, and ongoing cost and reimbursement challenges, many hospitals and health systems have faced the possibility of consolidating elements of their cardiovascular services offerings from multiple campuses to a single location.

Add the issues of state licensing criteria requiring minimum procedure volumes to maintain certification, payer contracting requirements specifying procedure volume thresholds for participation, and newer technology (such as TAVR) access requirements that are, in part, based on provider volumes, and determining how to best proceed has become a very challenging situation for many healthcare executives.

A Myriad of Key Issues for Consideration

CFA’s experience across the country has taught us that regardless of the initially desired corporate strategic direction, it is important to consider the following practical questions when assessing a clinical services consolidation or rationalization situation:

• Will you truly save money?  
• Will you lose a significant number of referrals?  
• Is the option acceptable across the varied constituencies in your organization?
• How will your cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons (and other specialists) react?

• How will you ensure and/or increase stakeholder value across the system?

• How will closing an interventional laboratory or cardiac surgery service impact noninvasive cardiac and vascular services at that hospital?
• What will happen to the local STEMI and stroke program?  
• Will it harm or enhance the overall clinical reputation of the hospital(s)?
• Is “low volume versus quality outcomes” at issue?
• How will the payer community react?
• Will your competitors seek an advantage?
• How will capacity and patient throughput be impacted?
• What unintended consequences may be created?

Answering these and other logical questions during the analyses of clinical services rationalization or consolidation between facilities is a critical exercise that will help to ensure a rational, well planned and successful outcome.

CFA Has the Experience and Skill-Sets to Help You Achieve Success

In the course of our 21+ years of providing strategic, operational and implementation guidance to the cardiovascular delivery system community across the U.S., CFA has assisted many client organizations with assessing the challenges of consolidating cardiovascular services across their health system.  We have assisted clients in determining best options in many differing healthcare organizations, market circumstances (from high population urban locales to rural regional environments), and payer community circumstances.

Call CFA today to discuss how our experience and capabilities can help you and your organization successfully navigate this critical determination