Cardiovascular Business - July/August 2008 - (Page 5)

first word Editorial C.P. Kaiser, Editor ckaiser@CardiovascularBusiness.com Mary C. tierney, Editorial director mtierney@trimedmedia.com Beth walsh, senior Editor bwalsh@trimedmedia.com Lisa fratt, features writer lfratt@trimedmedia.com Jonathan Batchelor, web Editor jbatchelor@trimedmedia.com Justine Cadet, News Editor jcadet@trimedmedia.com sarah Lamberti, Assistant News Editor slamberti@trimedmedia.com Editorial advisors: Georgann Bruski, rtr, Lrt, CVt Beth israel deaconess Medical Center Boston, Mass. Jeffery J. fine, Phd, Ms Cardiovascular Associates Kingsport, tenn. John o. Goodman J.o. Goodman & Associates Las Vegas, Nev. Christopher M. Nelson, rN, rCis, fsiCP sentara Healthcare Chesapeake, Va. ronald N. riner, Md the riner Group Naples, fla. william weintraub, Md Christiana Care Health system wilmington, del. intEractivE MEdia Amy Lizotte, interactive Media Manager alizotte@trimedmedia.com Jeff Hill, interactive Media developer jhill@trimedmedia.com art & dEsign Anne Bardsley, Art director salEs & MarkEting Pete detreville, Publisher pdetreville@CardiovascularBusiness.com Michael rahme, Account Manager mrahme@CardiovascularBusiness.com Nina Botelho, Marketing director nbotilho@trimedmedia.com adMinistration Jack spears, President & Group Publisher Kristen Bouthillier, Business Manager kbouthillier@trimedmedia.com Publication sErvicEs Editorial submissions & information Editor@CardiovascularBusiness.com Advertising, Media Kits & reprints sales@CardiovascularBusiness.com subscriptions & Back issues subs@CardiovascularBusiness.com Creative services & information Art@CardiovascularBusiness.com corPoratE officE 235 Promenade street, suite 455 Providence, rhode island 02908 tel. 401 383 5660 fax 401 383 3896 collective Wisdom Helps in Hard times C.P. Kaiser, Editor ckaiser@CardiovascularBusiness.com “Twenty years ago, it was still possible to come out of school, hang your shingle and learn on the job. That’s not true today,” said Ronald N. Riner, MD, president of The Riner Group, during an interview about what practices can do to weather the storm of declining reimbursement (see story, page 24). The obvious interpretation of Riner’s wisdom is to apply it to individuals. People need much more support today— from colleagues, consultants and others—to maximize their productivity and revenue. One could also extrapolate and apply this wisdom to encompass whole systems in healthcare—practices, departments and hospitals. With that understanding, it’s safe to say that when we want to improve these systems, to function more efficiently, for example, we can’t do it alone. We need much more support—from many various sources—to effectively address all the variables that can stymie optimal progress toward the goal of maximum productivity, efficiency and revenue. This theme of collective wisdom, if you will, runs through the pages of this issue. Our cover story, for example, demonstrates that to design a cath lab, you need the support and input of many different people, be they consultants, architects, cardiologists or service line administrators. The mentality of “Build it and they will come” is no longer enough. The constraints that cardiology faces today, including increased overhead costs and decreased volume and reimbursement, forces leaders to think creatively. Surprisingly, solutions don’t have to be complicated. In our story about maximizing reimbursement, we show how paying attention to coding ratios—matching up certain procedure codes with corresponding supervision and interpretation codes—can produce significant costsavings for practices. The bottom line is that no one is in this alone. We are surrounded by people with valuable experience and the articles in Cardiovascular Business are intended to gather and share the wisdom that is out there. CardiovascularBusiness.com Cardiovascular Business 5 http://CardiovascularBusiness.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Cardiovascular Business - July/August 2008

Cardiovascular Business - July/August 2008 Table of Contents First Word Cover Story: Planning for the Ideal Cath Lab Requires the Multidisciplinary Approach Clinical Study Digest: Cell Phone Technology Speeds Ecgs As Real-Time 3d Echo Matures, It Finds a Clinical Niche Ecg Image Management Brings Increased Productivity and Confidence Overcoming Barriers to Cath Lab Inventory Control Maximizing Reimbursement, Minimizing Penalties News & Views Calendar Reader Resources The Back Page

Cardiovascular Business - July/August 2008

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