Stuck in the middle. The highly anticipated drug-eluting stents are good for heart patients, but are they bad for hospital balance sheets?
The Food and Drug Administration stands ready to OK a highly anticipated drug-eluting stent as early as this week, but revenue at hospitals may fall as a result of declining volumes in cardiovascular surgeries, a lucrative service. The problem comes "because hospitals are stuck in the middle," says Jeffery Morneault (left), an executive at Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati.
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D013504:Cardiovascular Surgical Procedures / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018795:Device Approval; D004333:Drug Administration Routes; D006801:Humans; D006278:Medicare; D015607:Stents / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards*; D013503:Surgery Department, Hospital / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration