Symposium highlights service line strategies, innovations

The cardiovascular service line may be evolving, but one trend is clear: Service lines play an increasingly important role in high-quality, efficient patient care. There is no cookie-cutter formula to success but there are guideposts, as leaders will share in an upcoming MedAxiom Cardiovascular Service Line Symposium.

“There is more and more evidence every year that working in an aligned fashion with facilities and physicians is going to be a critical success factor in our new healthcare environment,” Suzette Jaskie, president and CEO of MedAxiom Consulting, told Cardiovascular Business. MedAxiom will hold an annual symposium dedicated to cardiovascular service lines from June 18 to 20 in Beaver Creek, Colo. Cardiovascular Business and the American College of Cardiology are co-sponsors.

In keeping with previous years, the program will highlight practical approaches for treating cardiovascular patients across the continuum of care. Presenters will discuss the many components that contribute to a cardiovascular service line, including cultural alignment, integration, value, finance and reimbursement. The event also introduces innovations such as telehealth and the chief experience officer (CXO) and their potential roles in the cardiovascular service line model.    

Service lines remain in flux, with some programs well established and others in their infancy. “We don’t have a standard yet,” Jaskie observed. Cardiovascular service lines are assuming more responsibility and those with a solid structure and leadership are better positioned to keep their authority and autonomy.

The three-day conference combines the analytical insights of the MedAxiom team with real-world examples from service line pioneers in clinical, administrative and financial positions. Jaskie also will unveil highlights from the 2014 MedAxiom Integration Survey.

Many talks will offer a question-answer period. For the first time, presenters will include two cardiac surgeons: Michael Mack, MD, medical director of cardiovascular surgery at Baylor Scott & White Health in Dallas, who will discuss improving value in surgical programs; and Tim Gardner, MD, medical director at the Center for Heart and Vascular Health and executive director at the Value Institute at Christiana Care Health System in Delaware, who will describe steps for developing the institute.

Also new this year is a presentation on the new C-suite position of CXO by Kris White, RN, MBA, co-founder of Aefina Partners and former system vice president of patient affairs and president of Spectrum Health Innovations in Grand Rapids, Mich. “She was a CXO before there was a CXO,” Jaskie said.

White will discuss her experiences integrating patient experience into the care process and aligning the concept of customer care into today’s service lines.

Service lines juggle many demands, from improving care to meeting benchmarks, and determining priorities can be a challenge, Jaskie said. The symposium is designed to provide a respite, allowing service line directors, managers and other key players to pause, interact and identify the best strategies moving forward.   

Cardiovascular Business will cover the event, beginning June 18.