The Cardiology Shift Every Hospital, Physician, and ASC Should Be Planning For

By: Derrick Idbeis, originally written for Becker’s ASC Review

Procedures once considered hospital-only are steadily moving to ambulatory surgery centers. This white paper breaks down what the shift means for hospitals, physicians, and ASC owners — and the moves each should be making now.

Cardiology is at an inflection point.

Procedures once performed almost exclusively in hospitals — diagnostic catheterization, a growing list of interventional cases, and EP studies, ablations, and more PCI — are steadily shifting to ambulatory surgery centers. CMS keeps expanding what ASCs can perform, payers favor lower-cost sites of service, and patients increasingly seek care that balances safety with convenience

That shift doesn’t land the same way for everyone. For hospitals, it puts cardiovascular revenue and physician alignment at risk. For cardiologists, it opens real decisions about ownership, partnership, and independence. For ASC owners weighing a new cardiovascular line, it’s one of the most significant opportunities in years — and a moment where the right non-equity ASC management partner can help them add the service without giving up ownership or control.

Developed by the outpatient advisory experts at Avanza + MedHQ — a non-equity ASC management company built to help surgery centers and physician practices thrive on their own terms — this white paper maps where cardiology is headed and gives each stakeholder a clear set of next steps, so you can respond deliberately instead of reacting after the market has already moved.

What You’ll Learn

The challenge is aligning strategically without turning an ASC into a mini-hospital. Hospitals guide strategy, not operations. ASCs are fast, physician-led, and efficient. Let them work the way they work.

Geri Eaves, Vice President of Ambulatory Services

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