Medaxiom Blog

What does it mean to lead in a cardiovascular world that’s shifting fast? This blog explores the pulse of modern leadership and what it takes to engage, inspire and retain the next generation of healthcare professionals.

MedAxiom’s annual 2025 CV Program Top Priorities Survey Report provides a mirror for those of us navigating the complex world of cardiovascular operations. The 2025 results reaffirmed something I’ve been saying for a while now: revenue cycle is no longer a back-office function – it's a strategic pillar. If we continue treating it as secondary support, we risk compromising everything from financial performance to patient access and physician engagement.

Let's talk about what really moves the needle for growth in the cardiovascular space. We spend countless hours – and sometimes too much of our precious and scarce financial resources – on perfecting sophisticated marketing campaigns and polishing our brand reputations. Each important and valuable. But if I had to distill nearly four decades of experience across every conceivable provider setting into one core truth for building patient volume and grabbing market share, it’s this: accessibility beats everything.

Illustration by: Lee Sauer

This is the second installment of the Care Transformation Blog Series. Get caught up by reading blog #1. As I work with cardiologists in organizations across the U.S., I hear a very common theme: the frustration that consults and referrals that don’t require a cardiologist are overburdening cardiology clinics. Each time I hear this, it takes me back to my early clinical days. When one particular cardiologist would come across a consult he felt was unnecessary, he would suggest in a loud, booming voice that we simply, “Cancel the consult.”

There’s a very scary trend emerging in health systems across the country. To be fair, I picked ONE scary trend that’s happening in health systems – there are certainly others. We’re starting to believe our own lie that “hospitals lose money on employed physicians” and taking actions as if that statement is true. Since my whole world is cardiovascular, I’m going to focus on that service line in health systems but would guess the same is applicable to other specialties as well.

Cardiologists are in high demand in the U.S. Likely a very obvious statement for the MedAxiom audience! To put some numbers behind this, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) estimates that the U.S. will face a shortage of between 5,800 and 15,800 cardiologists by 2030.1 That’s only five years from now!

In a world where language like innovation, artificial intelligence (AI), strategy, value-based and disruption have become part of our lexicon, care transformation seems to merge these concepts. Organizations are adding chief transformation officers and care transformation teams, investing in care transformation consultants, and engaging with care transformation initiatives.

As healthcare leaders in the cardiovascular space, we're all too familiar with the challenges of interdepartmental communication. It's time we had a heart-to-heart about breaking down those stubborn silos clogging up our hospitals and outpatient settings. In this blog, we’ll explore some practical strategies to improve collaboration and ultimately enhance patient care.

Introduction: A Checklist for Cardiology Nurse navigators have long been a cornerstone in oncology care, guiding patients through complex treatment pathways and ensuring seamless care coordination. In this specialty area, nurse navigators are invaluable in improving patient outcomes, ensuring satisfaction, and coordinating care. They provide individualized support, help manage numerous appointments and procedures, ensure patients understand their treatment plans, and more.