The cardiovascular industry is still booming, and the future looks bright for many years to come. In fact, despite reimbursement challenges and increasing competition, a cardiac and vascular program can contribute 20“40% of a hospital's revenue, which is why this specialty is an area where effective leadership can bring the most dramatic results.
We've also been witness to a paradigm shift. With increasing numbers of advanced-service programs opening in communities across the country, the demand for qualified clinical, administrative, and physician leaders to oversee these programs has risen as well. Yet for the last several years, hospitals nationwide have struggled to find qualified leaders within cardiovascular services who possess the right skill set a mix of clinical knowledge, business savvy, and operational expertise. Capable department leaders need the ability to direct and understand clinical operations and engage team commitment, while driving the overarching strategy, financial management, and other big picture activities.

Do you have the skills and knowledge needed to advance your career? Are you prepared to take an active role in your professional development?

It is our hope that the advice and insight we can offer will help you answer a resounding YES! to these questions.
Very recently, a relative asked for my advice as she began her first year of training as a radiologic technologist. I told her very simply that she will never be bored or without career options with a focus on interventional cardiology and the vascular lab. Indeed, cardiac and vascular services represent a huge potion of a hospital's bottom line. And, although we have made great strides in the treatment of atherosclerotic disease, there is still no cure. So while there may be momentary changes in procedure volumes or shifts in volume from one area to another, there will always be patients to care for and disease to treat.
I intentionally did not use the term cath lab above, as many progressive programs are quickly realizing that the marriage of vascular and cardiology services is vital to promote program efficiency and growth. In fact, our physician colleagues could learn a great deal from observing the seamless integration of cardiac and vascular technical staff in these facilities. We are truly at a crossroads in terms of vascular care, as a new generation of medical professionals is recognizing that the vascular system can benefit from many of the modalities that have been used for the heart for years. Patients who may have been limited or completely incapacitated by decreased blood flow to their lower extremities have seen dramatic improvement with vascular angioplasty and stenting. Look for more on the dramatic growth in vascular services in a future edition of this column.
As a recruitment specialist, I am often asked to comment on what skills professionals should obtain to advance their career. My answer is always the same: learn as much as you can about the business side of our industry. One of the greatest weaknesses in healthcare, according to a top financial and accounting firm, is the lack of formal education and knowledge of healthcare finance within the ranks of clinical managers. I believe this is 100% correct. Nursing, technical, and even medical schools focus hours and hours of curriculum on body systems and treatment modalities without ever considering the financial aspect of a clinical specialty, including how hospitals and healthcare facilities pay the bills.
With the dramatic increases in the types and volumes of interventional procedures, as well as changes in the treatment of acute cardiac conditions that has resulted in a trend of round-the-clock access to care, there will always be a high demand for professionals to man the labs. For those who want to move up a rung on the career ladder, learning the business of healthcare, including finance, is essential. We will devote an entire column to this topic in a future edition, with ideas for how to improve your marketable skill sets.
Another frequently asked question is, what will CT angiography mean to my future? The answer, again, is very simple: a great deal. But this impact is not what most people think. Any decreases in diagnostic volumes will be more than offset by increases in interventional procedures. Certainly, despite improving technology and access, there is still a lot of missed cardiac and vascular disease. CT and other imaging modalities can lead to earlier and more accurate diagnoses, while being less invasive than traditional angiography. The bottom line? CTA is a great diagnostic tool, but not one that provides treatment, so the interventional suite is not going away any time soon.
As the number of advanced-service cardiac and vascular programs grows and more organizations make major investments into this vital clinical service, there is greater market demand for those qualified for key positions in the cath (vascular) lab, operating room and patient care units. With the right skills and background, clinical professionals can set the stage to advance to leadership roles, and it is our hope that this column will help you along your path to success.
So for now, enjoy the beach or wherever your summer adventures take you, and look for our column each month in Cath Lab Digest. We have already begun work on our next article, which will discuss the value of education, and the many more that will follow.

Jim Burns is a Vice President at Corazon, providing specialized consulting and recruitment services for cardiovascular program development. Corazon combines strategic business planning, market and financial analysis, feasibility studies, clinical operations, program implementation support, Heart Hospital design, best practice benchmarking, executive search, and staff/leadership education for newly established or existing heart and vascular programs. Call 412-364-8200 or visit www.corazoninc.com. To reach Jim, email jburns@corazoninc.com.