Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on ECG’s website.
Hospitals and health systems are gearing up for a new rule book that could have major ramifications for their cardiovascular (CV) service line and structural heart programs. Two key changes are expected:
1. New FDA-approved patient indicators that will broaden eligibility for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) to lower-risk patients
2. Updated CMS requirements for hospitals to establish and/or maintain their structural heart programs
If implemented, these changes will have a profound effect on strategy, operations, financing, and physician planning for CV service lines across the country.
Traditionally, TAVRs have been reserved for high-risk patients who cannot handle the stressors of open-heart surgery. However, two studies presented in mid-March at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session offered new perspectives on the clinical requirements for a TAVR program compared to those for a surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) program. While they reconfirmed that TAVR is the higher-performing solution for high-risk patients, the studies also concluded that TAVR is at least as effective as open-heart surgery for both low- and intermediate-risk patients. Click here to continue>>
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