Care Delivery

This channel includes news on cardiovascular care delivery, including how patients are diagnosed and treated, cardiac care guidelines, policies or legislation impacting patient care, device recalls that may impact patient care, and cardiology practice management.

PFA has been a game-changer for heart patients—but there are still risks
Devi Nair, MD, reviewed some of the rare complications clinicians are seeing with PFA.
‘Best Countries’ report: Middling scores for health cut into US’s bid for overall greatness
A meticulous comparison of quality-of-life factors across 100 countries has yielded good news and bad news for the United States of America.
Are White men victims of their own top-dog status? Equity researchers eye provocative hypothesis through lens of health and wellbeing
Conventional wisdom holds that social standing and economic stability tend to manifest as long life, good health and optimal wellbeing. In the U.S., the subpopulation holding the most such power and footing is White men. So: What has happened to this demographic?
Consolidation of physician practices proceeds apace, corporatizing medicine one acquisition at a time
The days when most doctors worked in independent practice settings are fading from memory like old photoprints in a musty scrapbook.
Key points to remember when performing cardiac ablations in ASCs
When CMS finalized coverage for cardiac ablations performed in ASCs, experts from HRS and ACC published recommendations for performing those procedures safely and effectively. One of the cardiologists behind that guidance shared some important takeaways with Cardiovascular Business.

AI course-of-care notes help doctors, pose little risk of harm to patients

Agentic large-language models can draft hospital discharge summaries that are safe, useful and demonstrably effective at helping to curb physician burnout, according to research conducted at Stanford University.

Subhasis Chatterjee, MD. FACS, FACC, FCCP, Associate Professor of Surgery, Director Thoracic Surgical ICU and ECMO Program, Texas Heart Institute at CHI Baylor St. Lukes, explains the new 2026 expert consensus on heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) released at the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) 2026 annual meeting. #AATS #AATS2026 #AATS26

AATS helps heart surgeons diagnose and manage heparin-induced thrombocytopenia

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia after heart surgery is a major concern, but prior guidelines were developed without much feedback from actual cardiac surgeons.

GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1-RAs) have become the wonder drug not only of weight loss, but also for improving cardiovascular health in a growing number of positive cardiovascular trials. The latest study of more than 13,000 patients presented at Heart Rhythm 2026 this week showed the GLP-1 reduce atrial fibrillation (AFib) and survival, even after accounting for the drug’s impact on weight loss.

CMS unveils $50 GLP-1 prescriptions for Medicare patients

The agency said the new program, made possible by Medicare Part D, begins on July 1 and will extend until the end of 2027. For $50 a month, Medicare beneficiaries will be able to access popular weight loss drugs, in hopes they will improve overall health.

Analysis: The public may not be wrong to think of the ED as the ‘front door’ of the hospital

The perception is probably more pronounced in community hospital EDs than their academic counterparts.

Video of Makoto Hashimoto, MD, PhD, professor and director of robotic cardiac surgery at Florida International University, Baptist Health, who presented a study on robotic surgery outcomes and costs at the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) 2026 annual meeting this week. While the costs of these minimally invasive robotic procedures is higher that traditional surgical procedures, he said costs overall can be reduced in terms of faster patient recovery, shorter length of stays.

Upfront costs of robotic heart surgery are high—but it may be a smart investment

Makoto Hashimoto, MD, PhD, said robotic procedures are associated with a faster recovery time and many other potential benefits.

State sues AI company after bot impersonates doctor

The digital entity gave at least one end-user a phony medical-license number. Unfortunately for the chatbot, that end-user was a state investigator.

UnitedHealthcare looks to reduce prior authorizations by 30% before end of 2026

The insurance arm of UnitedHealth Group said the shift is part of its ongoing effort to eliminate the barriers between care delivery and medical coverage. The full list of services exempt from prior authorizations includes diagnostic tests and many outpatient surgeries.

Blame towering market power for soaring hospital prices: Healthcare affordability specialist

“When hospitals that were once competitors merge, prices go up—often by double-digit percentages—with no measurable improvement in patient outcomes.”

Care Delivery

PFA has been a game-changer for heart patients—but there are still risks

‘Best Countries’ report: Middling scores for health cut into US’s bid for overall greatness

Are White men victims of their own top-dog status? Equity researchers eye provocative hypothesis through lens of health and wellbeing

Consolidation of physician practices proceeds apace, corporatizing medicine one acquisition at a time

Key points to remember when performing cardiac ablations in ASCs