Cardiovascular Business - July/August 2008 - (Page 7)

Ideal Cath Lab successful cath lab or heart center requires a realistic view of current and future business. You don’t want to overestimate and spend a small fortune on space that is underused and offers little return on the investment. You also don’t want to underestimate and not have enough space to accommodate current and growing volume. Unfortunately, hindsight is 20/20 vision, which is particularly applicable to the planning and design of cath labs. Among the first considerations is whether to build new or renovate existing space. Depending on the status of the existing space, it can be cheaper to build new, says Georgann Bruski, director of contracting CVI at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and principal consultant for radiology and cardiology services of ADVANCE Healthcare Consulting. If the ceiling Planning for the A the Multidisciplinary Approach height has to change to accommodate equipment, or the existing conduit is not compatible and floor drilling has to occur, costs can quickly add up. More recently, Bruski says facilities are overestimating their cath lab business and building more than they can use. “They believe that ‘if they build it, patients will come.’ That might have been true five years ago, but it’s not true now.” She cites a facility that built two cath labs but now performs only five procedures a day. The organization should have partnered with physicians and created a business plan to determine where their patients will come from, she says. “You have to design an RFP [request for proposal] for your needs. Set a goal of expected revenue.” A cath lab is a very expensive undertaking. Besides the initial set-up costs, people often don’t consider the annual operational fees—which can run more than $100,000 a year in equipment maintenance. Facilities and practices need to thoroughly evaluate the marketplace to determine if it will generate enough volume to pay for a cath lab, says Susan N. Heck, vice president of Corazon, a cardiology consulting firm in Pittsburgh, Pa. “It’s a complex question. It’s not all about bricks and sticks,” she says. Aside from ensuring that there are enough patients, a good program requires reliable cardiologists. Since you can’t run a cath lab without physicians, you need doctors willing to commit to the facility. “Our experience is that, if you work at it, you’ll find doctors who will partner with the hospital and commit to provide that service.” the improvements in the new cardiovascular suites at Marion General hospital in Marion, Ind., include a shared holding space with eight fully equipped private beds. Requires CardiovascularBusiness.com Cardiovascular Business 7 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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