The concept of regionalizing and centralizing cardiac care has existed for a long time. In our
own medical school and hospital, such a concept was formally put on paper and submitted …

My last Editor's Page dealt with physician self-referral in cardiology, a situation which raises
potential conflict of interest issues that are both real and perceived. Heart hospitals are a …

It is nothing short of remarkable that the advent of a relatively few specialty heart hospitals
over the past decade and a half, many of which have physician investors, should have …

The Point of View Series provides a forum for an exchange of ideas on all aspects of the
heart hospital concept, whether in stand‐alone institutions, or those within or related to …

The Heart Hospital of Austin, Texas opened in 1998 after more than 2 years of planning and
political struggles. A committed group of cardiologists had a vision of a physician‐driven and …

The rise of the specialty hospitals in the United States at this time can be explained by a
convergence of circumstances and events that gained momentum in the 1980s. By the mid …

Community hospitals increasingly are entering the cardiac-care business, with hopes of
enhancing their public image, increasing revenues and winning managed-care contracts …

THE LOVE AFFAIR between the American public and American medicine, extant since
World War II, has come to an inevitable end. This is not surprising, considering that the …

Over the last six years, the practice of cardiology in the US has experienced a substantial
transition from independent practice to practices integrated within hospital systems. This …

The debate over physician-invested hospitals has recently been renewed. This article will
explore an intimate account of the heart hospital model and will demonstrate its many …