Cardiologist Dan Blumenthal, MD, MBA, explains how changes in Medicare payments will greatly impact cardiology in the years ahead. In just a few short years, the business side of cardiology could look substantially different than it does today. 

Bharath Krishnamurthy, a director of health policy and analytics at the American Hospital Association, explains the financial impact of current healthcare staffing shortages.

There is still a lack of lack of standardized treatment protocols for pulmonary embolism. This is mainly due to limited data and a lack of reliable risk assessments, one specialist explained.

Most EP clinical study data are from men, Anne Kroman, DO, explained in an interview. This is a significant problem, she said, because heart rhythm issues look quite different in women. 

Sahil Parikh, MD, director of endovascular services, New York-Presbyterian, explains details from the big-data REAL-PE study comparing mechanical thrombectomy to ultrasound assisted catheter thrombolysis.

Anne Kroman, DO, PhD, assistant professor at Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), explains mentoring efforts for women in EP and why it is important for patients to see more female electrophysiologists to help overcome barriers.

Emily Lau, MD, a women's health expert with Massachusetts General Hospital, thinks major changes are needed in how we diagnose CVD in women. "Our guidelines need to be more precise and offer sex-specific recommendations," she says.

In rural Oklahoma, double amputees due to untreated peripheral artery disease face mortality rates around 35% after one year and 60% after two. Jim Melton, DO, hopes his mobile cardiology clinics can make a difference for these patients.