Healthcare policies have rapidly evolved in recent years, and 2025 was no exception. From payment policies to physician shortages, ASE and other medical societies had plenty to fight for throughout the year.

One of the event's primary takeaways was that interventional cardiology does still attract a healthy number of trainees. However, SCAI sees several ways the specialty can improve to be even more appealing in the future. 

“Physical AI agents being able to actually deliver some of these services—all the way into robotic surgery—this is where we're going to see this next chapter of medicine be written,” said Kimberly Powell, vice president and general manager of healthcare at Nvidia.
 

Cardiology has largely shifted to hospital-employed models, driven by reimbursement compression and evolving physician priorities. This has created challenges as well as opportunities.

The plaintiffs argue that the administration has overstepped its authority and that only Congress can levy such hefty fees. As noted in the lawsuit, healthcare relies on skilled labor immigration to bring doctors, nurses and researchers into the country. 

Lauren Beene, MD, and Valerie Fouts-Fowler, MD, allege in a lawsuit that Ohio-based University Hospitals fired them for expressing concerns through a chat app. The health system accused the duo of misusing internal communications for personal gain. 

Kirk Milhoan, MD, PhD, has been fired from his role as a pediatric cardiologist. His wife and others say he was let go because he is now the chair of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

Pediatric electrophysiology is an invaluable part of any healthcare system, and its importance is only growing as technologies continue to evolve. We spoke to Nicholas Von Bergen, MD, to learn more about where the specialty is headed in the years ahead.