Kristen Richards, the vice president of ambulatory care at Cardiovascular Logistics, a national , physician-led cardiovascular platform, joined Becker’s to discuss the obstacles to the outpatient migration of cardiovascular procedures.
Editor’s note: This interview was edited lightly for clarity and length.
Question: What are the most significant barriers still limiting the outpatient migration of cardio procedures? How is CVL addressing them?
Kristen Richards: There are quite a few. Cardiovascular ASCs are still the new kid on the block — migration has been a little slower. We’re still dealing with reimbursement issues. Reimbursement is definitely lower in this space — about 53% lower than a hospital outpatient department. That can be challenging if you’re not operationally efficient and focused on leveraging your organization to get better pricing. Financial sustainability can be tough.
Also, about 50% of states still have certificate-of-need laws that restrict PCIs or complex interventions, which creates barriers for outpatient migration. The cost of setting up a cardiovascular ASC is also significant because of the complexity of the equipment. Outfitting a single room can cost well over $1.5 million.
From a CVL standpoint, as we bring on more affiliates, if a group doesn’t already have an ASC strategy, we create one together. That’s critical for us and core to our mission. We’re focused on providing outstanding cardiovascular care and greater access at a lower cost, and ASCs are primed for that. They’re the right setting for patients: lower cost, great experience. That’s been our focus — helping our partners offer these services in their communities.
Q: What emerging technologies or payment models do you think will most accelerate outpatient cardiovascular care in the next five years?
KR: AI is definitely one. It’s still early, but it’s already helping improve efficiency in hospitals, ASCs and practices. It’ll enhance data capture and quality metrics — things that are barriers today due to limited resources.
I also think value-based care will be key. We’ve talked about it for over a decade, but adoption has been slow because it’s hard to implement. AI could help by making data capture easier and showing the impact on patient outcomes. Having that data will help us demonstrate quality and the value of outpatient care. Some groups have embraced it, others have tried and realized they lack the resources.
