FEATURE


Dos and Don’ts of Cardiology


in the ASC Setting Know the rules and keep an eye on staffing and payers BY ROBERT KURTZ


W


hile optimistic about the future of cardiology in ASCs, Janet Dees cautions about rushing to bring in too many cases within a specialty that is in its infancy in the ASC setting. “It has been a relatively short time-


frame since the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) began allowing these procedures to be per- formed in an ASC,” says Dees, chief executive officer of American Vascu- lar Associates (AVA) in Palm Harbor, Florida. “But if we are thoughtful and lean on experience, we will see the


14 ASC FOCUS MARCH 2021 | ascfocus.org


specialty grow. Success for cardiology in ASCs will boil down to proceeding intelligently and strategically.” AVA manages the Heart & Rhythm Institute of Trinity in Trinity, Florida, an ASC/ office-based laboratory hybrid. Contemplating performing


cardi-


ology procedures in your ASC? Con- sider these recommendations.


ASC Cardiology Dos Know the Rules Take the time to understand federal and state regulations, Dees advises.


“On a federal level, learn about the cardiology codes CMS has approved for the ASC-covered procedures list, including the new codes for 2021. You also need to determine where your state is in terms of approval for these procedures. For example, a majority of states do not permit percutaneous coronary interventions in ASCs.” California is one such state with restrictions on the types of cardi- ology procedures that can be per- formed in an ASC, says Rick Atkis- son, RN, chief nursing office of The Cardiovascular Surgical Center in Redding, California. “We currently are not allowed to perform coronary artery procedures. There is proposed state legislation that would allow a Medicare-certified ASC to perform diagnostic and interventional cardi-


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