SCAI president reviews achievements in interventional cardiology in 2024
Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) President James B. Hermiller, MD, MSCAI, outlined the achievements of the society in 2024 and offered a look ahead to 2025 in a recent letter to members. These accomplishments include creation of the first interventional cardiology specific fellowship match program, successful advocacy, efforts to increase the number of women in the field, and a large campaign to increase awareness about peripheral artery disease (PAD).
"As we approach the end of 2024, I am filled with immense pride and gratitude for the achievements we have accomplished together this year, a period that has been notable for tremendous progress and innovation in interventional cardiology. With the strides we have made together, I look forward to an impactful and successful upcoming year," Hermiller wrote.
Interventional cardiology match
SCAI led efforts to create the first-ever Interventional Cardiology Match, which recently took place with 272 (94%) fellows securing a position. Hermiller said 164 programs committed 326 positions, representing 89% of the identified training programs and 80% of the available interventional cardiology positions. SCAI has been working on this initiative for years.
"This marks a pivotal moment in our field. It’s hard to understate the importance of this structured and equitable process, which will benefit our fellows for generations to come.
Read more in the article Interventional cardiology’s first Match Day celebrated as a ‘historic achievement.’
SCAI advocacy efforts resulted in victories
Through the SCAI Advocacy Committee, Hermiller said the society successfully removed drug-coated balloons (DCBs) from the investigational list, facilitated the passage of the Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act of 2024 into law, and gained traction for the Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act.
In 2025, he said SCAI will intensify its advocacy efforts to address emerging challenges and opportunities in interventional cardiology. Key among them is fighting against Medicare cuts and work on more permanent solutions to fix declining Medicare reimbursements every year. The declining reimbursements, combined with no consideration for inflationary increases, threaten Medicare patients' access to care, as costs for delivering care become higher than the Medicare limits on payments.
Commitment to physician wellness
Hermiller said physician wellness remains a top priority for SCAI. This is part of a wider effort addressing high rates of cardiologist burnout, which is leading to many leaving clinical practice amid a rising shortage of cardiologists. SCAI implemented several wellness programs to support its members in managing the unique challenges they face as interventionalists.
"We are committed to moving our profession from a 'tolerable' to an 'optimal' working environment, one that dramatically reduces radiation exposure while freeing operators and staff from the burdens of wearing protective leaded gear. Our initiatives include resources and training for minimizing exposure to occupational hazards, such as radiation and orthopedic injuries, as well as webinars and workshops focused on self-care strategies, stress management, and achieving a healthy work-life balance. Our SCAI Wellness Webinar Series recently published a conversation on tackling grief and depression, freely available on the SCAI website," Hermiller said.
SCAI has plans to expand its wellness initiatives to provide even more support for its members' mental, emotional and physical well-being. These areas have been been sensitive in the past because cardiologists do not want to appear to have issues that may be perceived to impact their clinical judgement. However, SCAI and numerous other medical societies are realizing these concerns need to be addressed more openly because they are all factors leading to increasing burnout rates.
Efforts to advance diversity in interventional cardiology
SCAI wants to increase diversity in the interventional cardiology workforce. This year, the society launched the "micro fellowship” program Leadership Exchange to Promote Equity and Diversity: Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion (LEED: LAAO). The program pairs experienced LAAO operators with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) champions in a novel bidirectional exchange of expertise to address unmet needs in interventional cardiology, Hermiller explained.
SCAI also launched the SCAI Women in Innovations (WIN) Radiation Safety Campaign in an ongoing effort to address the gender disparity in those who practice interventional cardiology. The goal is to provide accurate information and support to female cardiologists considering the field, including a focus on radiation safety in cath labs, which has been a deterrent to younger women wanting to pursue intervention careers.
Read more about this program in the article Women urged to overcome radiation fears, consider a career in interventional cardiology.
Rising PAD and CLI awareness among referring physicians and the public
One of alarming trends in U.S. healthcare is a under-diagnosis and treatment of peripheral artery disease and growing inequity in care in low income and minority populations with PAD and its most severe form, critical limb ischemia. These issues have led to about 400 amputations per day in the U.S. due to CLI. Once a leg or foot is amputated, the mortality in these patients is extremely high.
This year, SCAI joined forces with the Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC), the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR), and the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) to create the PAD Pulse Alliance. It is designed to raise awareness about PAD among patients so they better understand their disease. The campaign is also designed to raise awareness among referring physicians, including primary care, diabetic care and podiatry, to better identify PAD and understand the treatments available. This has been identified as a barrier to wider treatment.
In addition to a patient-focused media outreach campaign, SCAI developed PADPulse.org, an online resource with information and tools for referring physicians and interventional cardiologists. Hermiller said the campaign generated significant media coverage in 2024.
The campaign also inspired Cardiovascular Business to expand coverage of these issues in PADS and CLI with a series of interviews:
• Health disparities are causing serious harm, leading to 400 amputations per day - Interview with Foluso Fakorede, MD
• Peripheral artery disease is out of control in many rural, low income communities — Interview with Kumar Madassery, MD
• Miami cardiologist works to address PAD health disparities in low-income neighborhoods - Interview with Pedro Martinez-Clark, MD
• Death rate from critical limb ischemia is high in rural Oklahoma - Interview with Jim Melton, DO
• Cardiologist details the many health disparities he encounters in rural Mississippi - Interview with Foluso Fakorede, MD
• Addressing high PAD and CLI rates in Latin and Haitian communities of Miami - Interview with Pedro Martinez-Clark, MD
• Mobile cardiology clinic reaches rural, Native American populations in Oklahoma - Interview with Jim Melton, DO
• Cardiologist moves to Mississippi to fight back against PAD and limit amputations - Interview with Foluso Fakorede, MD
• Interventional techniques can help limit amputations among CLI patients — Interview with Kumar Madassery, MD
• PAD patients have a wide variety of treatment options - Interview with Pedro Martinez-Clark, MD
Dave Fornell has covered healthcare for more than 17 years, with a focus in cardiology and radiology. Fornell is a 5-time winner of a Jesse H. Neal Award, the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of specialized journalism. The wins included best technical content, best use of social media and best COVID-19 coverage. Fornell was also a three-time Neal finalist for best range of work by a single author. He produces more than 100 editorial videos each year, most of them interviews with key opinion leaders in medicine. He also writes technical articles, covers key trends, conducts video hospital site visits, and is very involved with social media. E-mail: dfornell@innovatehealthcare.com