Each year, over 140 million people visit emergency departments (EDs), with chest pain driving nearly 11 million visits.1,2 Many patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are admitted for cardiac stress testing, making ACS evaluation a leading cause of short-term hospital admissions and driving over $3 billion in avoidable healthcare costs.3,4 This growing strain on inpatient beds impacts hospital efficiency, patient outcomes and financial margins.
MedAxiom is leading the conversation on innovative, patient-centered cardiac care models that improve system-wide efficiency. By rethinking traditional pathways and investing in sustainable care models, cardiovascular programs across the country are improving outcomes, optimizing clinician time, and building stronger referral networks. Three new case studies highlight diverse programs – spanning hospital systems, private practices and academic centers – that are transforming cardiovascular care delivery in their communities.
Case Study #1: Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute – Weekend Clinic
Weekend Clinic expands service availability and accessibility through an innovative, cost-effective care pathway to prevent patients from requiring higher-acuity care settings and reduce unnecessary visits to urgent care facilities and EDs.
Case Study #2: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Cardiac Direct Access Unit: Inpatient Hospital Unit
This cardiac urgent care creates inpatient capacity by grouping post-procedure observation patients in new observation headwalls, generates new revenue through various services, and improves patient experience.
Case Study #3: Capital Cardiology Associates – Direct Access Unit
This model uses a dedicated unit to see walk-in patients or referrals who would typically have been directed to the ED, providing same-day evaluation of patients with potential cardiac symptoms, including chest pain, shortness of breath or palpitations.
References:
- Texas A&M University. Research Shows Only Half of Emergency Visits Align With Doctor’s Assessment. News-Medical.net. Published March 20, 2025. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://www.newsmedical.net/news/20250320/Research-shows-only-half-of-emergency-visits-align-with-doctore28099sassessment.aspx.
- Yukselen Z, Majmundar V, Dasari M, Kumar PA, Singh Y. Chest pain risk stratification in the emergency department: Current perspectives. Open Access Emergency Med. 2024;16:29-43.
- Natsui S, Sun BC, Shen E, et al. Higher emergency physician chest pain hospitalization rates do not lead to improved patient outcomes. Circ Cardiovascular Qual Outcomes. 2021;14(1):e006297.
- McDermott KW, Jiang HJ, et al. Statistical brief #259: Characteristics and costs of potentially preventable inpatient stays, 2017. Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Statistical Briefs [Internet]. Published June 16, 2020. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559945/.