To open up hospital capacity and lower costs, Banner Health is expanding use of its co-owned Phoenix-area ASCs to host lower-acuity electrophysiology (EP) and interventional procedures, according to a new article in Cardiovascular Business.
The publication’s interview with Wilber Su, MD, director of cardiac EP at Banner Health and professor of medicine at the University of Arizona, covers a number of related topics, including:
- Su said advances in EP technology have made procedures such as atrial fibrillation (AFib) ablation “substantially shorter and more predictable than they were two decades ago, which ensures the safety needed as an outpatient procedure.”
- Su said hospital EP labs “frequently handle high-acuity patients, including ventricular tachycardia and complex redo procedures,” which frequently leads to delays for lower-risk cases. He told the publication that ASCs can provide a “parallel pathway” for lower-risk cases, and that “the same principle applies to interventional cardiology and structural heart procedures.”
- Physicians hold 49% ownership at Banner ASCs, with Banner Health and ASC management firm Atlas Healthcare Partners sharing the other 51%.
Read the full article here.
