Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., accounting for about 695,000 deaths annually and costing the nation nearly $320 billion each year, according to the CDC.
As more cardiac procedures move to outpatient settings, the global cardiovascular devices market — which includes interventional cardiology and electrophysiology tools — is projected to grow 6% annually through 2031, driven by minimally invasive technologies, value‑based care adoption and an aging population, according to Exactitude Consultancy.
“I believe cardiovascular procedures will be amongst the most common procedures to migrate from the hospital to the ASC setting,” Bruce Feldman, the administrator of Eastern Orange Ambulatory Surgery Center in Cornwall, N.J., told Becker’s in January. “These will include such procedures as [implantable cardioverter defibrillators], pacemakers, peripheral vascular stenting, coronary ablations, [percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty] and [transcatheter aortic valve replacement].”
Health systems are responding by building dedicated cardiology hubs that combine diagnostics, interventions and follow‑up care into one location. Recent projects include new cardiac catheterization labs, heart failure clinics, electrophysiology labs and multimillion‑dollar heart center expansions across the country.
These projects aim to improve access, streamline services and support long‑term cardiovascular program growth.
Potential site‑neutral payment reform, as outlined by KFF, could further accelerate this migration. Medicare currently reimburses ASCs at about half the rate of hospital outpatient departments for the same services. Aligning reimbursement rates would make outpatient cardiology more financially viable for health systems.
