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2007

2007 A YEAR IN REVIEW

The Year of Transition

t is, once again, that time of year when we prepare to celebrate the holidays with fam- diately experienced dramatic decreases in
ily and friends, take stock of our personal and professional lives, and resolve to make interventional procedure volumes that have
Ichanges in the New Year. From a business standpoint, this is the time for many of us just begun to correct themselves.
to evaluate the performance of the past year and plan and budget for the one that’s about Furthermore, recent recalls and device-
to begin … integrity issues have impacted major vendors
All of us in healthcare are no doubt reflecting on a year that has brought such sweep- during the latter part of this year. As evidenced
ing changes that many people have yet to fully realize the total impact. 2007 will perhaps by previous recalls, these types of events can
be remembered as the most volatile year in our industry since the introduction of the shatter consumer confidence in even the most
Inpatient Prospective Payment System in the early 1980s … and 2008 promises to be just robust and esteemed programs.
as challenging! At this point, we have no choice but to
We all heard the grumblings from governmental and other officials warning of the weather the storm … “this too shall pass.”
switch from a charge-based to a cost-based reimbursement system. We had escaped At Corazon, we continually work with our BY JAMES BURNS
attempts in recent years to institute those changes, though little prepared us for this year’s consulting and recruitment clients across the
radical change that even affected the DRG numbering system. Hospitals that cannot pro- country to help them prepare for what lies
vide care for sicker, more acute patients are now faced with significant reimbursement ahead, specifically in the cardiovascular spe-
decreases, and with that, added pressure to recruit and retain specialty physicians and cialty. Indeed, we believe the best way to be
staff that would enable them to provide a higher level of care. positioned for the future is to understand the current landscape, and anticipate the
On the physician side, not only did the Physician Fee For Service schedule show an changes and challenges that will emerge.
overall decrease in reimbursements of over 8%, many of the other modalities that Our best advice is to always be informed. In this information age, there really is no
physicians use to augment their incomes have been stripped down or completely excuse for not being “in the know” about changes in our industry. We offer multiple
eliminated. This, coupled with drastic changes to the Stark Laws, significantly newswires and publications, educational and conference events, and other means to keep
changed the landscape of physician investments in hospital or other partnerships, and you abreast of what is planned and what has been enacted in our industry. Proactively
has limited the tools available to hospital leadership to align with physicians and keep developing strategies and solutions for your hospital or specialty program will help you
them engaged in their facilities. set the stage for success in 2008 and beyond.
As of this writing, we are still waiting to understand the final impact that all of these If 2008 is as tumultuous as 2007 (and we believe it will be!), especially in terms of hos-
changes will have upon our healthcare system. There are even attempts to further limit pital/physician payments and rule changes, Corazon is poised and ready to assist with
specialty hospital development, which may or may not be enacted by the end of the year. facing these challenges and maintaining cardiovascular program viability in our dynam-
Beyond the payor and governmental changes, 2007 also brought an abrupt interrup- ic and ever-changing industry. Happy Holidays from our team to yours, and Best Wishes
tion to what can only be described as the “days of wine and roses” for angioplasty and for the Year Ahead!
invasive cardiology. Study data released at the 2007 Annual American College of James Burns is a Vice President with Corazon, a national leader in specialized consulting and
Cardiology conference questioned many long-standing beliefs about angioplasty vs. recruitment services for cardiovascular program development. For more information, call
thrombolytics for the treatment of acute myocardial infarctions. Many programs imme- (412) 364-8200 or visit www.corazoninc.com.

Dr. Dass is on the medical staff of Wellington Regional Medical Center but is an independent contractor who is not an agent or employee of Wellington Regional Medical Center. Novalis shapes
high-energy beams to precisely target tumors and uses sophisticated 3D software to generate treatment plans, minimizing damage to healthy tissue. Treatment plans are dependent upon patient
and type of indication, individual cases will vary. All rights reserved. © BrainLAB AG.

South Florida Hospital News hospitalnews.org December 2007 27