Medaxiom Blog

We recently went shopping for a new grill, not because we wanted to, but because we had to. The final blow came when our son lifted the grill lid to load some kebobs and couldn't hide the disgusted look on his face. We knew the grill was nearing the end of its life – grates and burners rusted past the point of salvage – but our inertia and inattention to its sorry state had yet to be acknowledged publicly.

In recent years, computerized tomography (CT) has emerged as a rapid and accurate non-invasive cardiac imaging modality. Access to this type of imaging has changed the landscape of how providers can get a closer look at the heart and has become a valuable diagnostic tool in their toolkit. Unfortunately, it has also led to confusion on which CT is the right test for the patient. When a provider looks at the different exams in the electronic health record (EHR), the options can muddy the water. For cardiac alone, one can see single photon emission computed tomography with computed tomography (SPECT/CT), positron emission tomography with computed tomography (PET/CT), cardiac calcium scoring, cardiac perfusion CT, cardiac CT for structural heart, coronary CT angiography (CCTA) and CCTA with fractional flow reserve (FFR). In this blog, we will explore the different types of CT in the cardiac space.

By Dave Bontempo, Director and Managing Partner, RoundTable Strategic Solutions, and Rachael Battin, Senior Director, RoundTable Strategic Solutions

March 2023 marks my 11th year with MedAxiom. During this tenure, I’ve had the privilege of being the lead author on MedAxiom’s Cardiovascular Provider Compensation and Production Survey, including this past year which was its 10th Anniversary Edition. As a consultant now for over a decade, I’ve been witness to many changes in cardiology, with one significant being the deep subspecialization of the provider workforce.

“The things we fear most in organizations – fluctuations, disturbances, imbalances – are the primary sources of creativity.” - Margaret Wheatley Whether it’s quiet quitting, turnover contagion, burnout, recessionary layoffs, stagflation or a combination, organizations across all industries have little reprieve from disruption post-pandemic.

By Dave Bontempo, Director and Managing Partner, RoundTable Strategic Solutions, and Rachael Battin, Senior Director, RoundTable Strategic Solutions RoundTable Strategic Solutions powers MedAxiom Talent Solutions, which connects healthcare organizations with seasoned cardiovascular experts backed by the entire MedAxiom team. As a leader in delivering innovative staffing solutions to the healthcare industry, RoundTable Strategic Solutions shares unique perspective on workforce challenges, opportunities and trends to help MedAxiom member organizations thrive in the new normal.

This year marks a decade of publishing MedAxiom’s Cardiovascular Provider Compensation and Production Survey. Be on the lookout for the 2022 report, which will be published in the coming days. As the primary author of the survey, I can honestly say it’s been a labor of love for the MedAxiom team. The feedback on the value of the data we get from our membership keeps us motivated and energized.

As the newest member of the MedAxiom Consulting Team, Jaime Warren, EdD, MBA, BHS, CNMT, NCT, brings 20+ years of clinical and operational experience to our community. Beginning her journey in healthcare as a nuclear medicine technologist, Jaime went onto hold operational leadership positions which provided her a viewpoint from the clinician to the C-suite. With extensive experience in both inpatient and ambulatory imaging setting, Jaime’s expertise lies in improving organizational processes, workflows and human performance.

RoundTable Strategic Solutions powers MedAxiom Talent Solutions, which connects healthcare organizations with seasoned cardiovascular experts backed by the entire MedAxiom team. As a leader in delivering innovative staffing solutions to the healthcare industry, RoundTable Strategic Solutions shares a unique perspective on workforce challenges, opportunities and trends to help MedAxiom member organizations thrive in the new normal.

One of the joys – and responsibilities – of MedAxiom is being on the forefront of cardiovascular care. As readers of this blog already know, cardiovascular care is complex in a number of ways. Whether it’s staffing, technology, finances, operations, clinical care, lab optimization, care team development, sites of service and more, the evolutions and solutions are typically hyper-focused on specific organizational challenges and disease states. While there are industry-wide shifts that are often driven by reimbursement changes, it is more common that cardiovascular programs focus on these subsets of care delivery at various times depending on their evolution and overall program strategy. MedAxiom is dedicated to providing solutions for all areas of cardiovascular operational and clinical improvement, thereby accommodating entities that travel in and out of stages of need. Whether a program is focusing on care team optimization, developing a remote patient monitoring program, embarking on a CT journey, seeking cath lab operational efficiency, or pursuing other opportunities, MedAxiom aims to provide cardiovascular programs with the right solution at the right time.