When implementing new technologies, success sometimes hinges on how quickly and efficiently we collect, analyze and react to data.

Longer wait times for initial cardiac rehabilitation sessions have been linked to decreased participation. Looking to mitigate this issue, Vanderbilt University researchers implemented a group enrollment and "open gym" format for rehab patients and studied its effect on wait times.

Pediatric cardiologists say they can use telemedicine to improve patient care and ease the burden on patients’ families. But with the costs of these programs stretching into the hundreds of thousands, and a patchwork of reimbursement and regulations to contend with, what does it take to find success with pediatric telecardiology?

With the passage of MACRA and introduction of new reimbursement models, hospitals are analyzing the costs and benefits of sending patients to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs).

Some hospital systems are considering offering integrated vein care centers. One of the challenges they face is uncertainty about reimbursement.

The availability of a specialty drug doesn’t guarantee its accessibility, as cardiologists who try to prescribe PCSK9 inhibitors to their patients are learning. Insurers’ requirements for prior authorizations can create formidable barriers, but some providers have found ways to surmount them.

Questions have swirled around the value of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for patients whose quality of life has suffered from chronic total occlusion (CTO). Inevitably, another issue has arisen: which cath labs and operators should be undertaking these difficult and costly procedures?

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) released an official comment on Aug. 21 in response to proposed updates to the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) established with the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). Here are five key takeaways from the 22-page statement.