Cardiology / Interventional

Cardiology practices cancel 12–18% of same-day cath procedures. Each one costs $7,200.

CMS data shows 12–18% same-day cancellation rate for elective cath lab procedures. At $7,200 avg (diagnostic + interventional blended), a 5-physician group doing 12 cath cases/week loses $645K–$968K/year before recovery. CaseFlow recovers it.

The #1 preventable cause: anticoagulation management failures — Plavix 5-day hold, Eliquis 48h, Xarelto 24h, warfarin INR confirmation. CaseFlow automates the holds so your cath lab stays full.
Cardiac Cath Lab — The Numbers
12–18%
Same-day cath cancel rate (CMS data)
$7,200
Avg. cost per cancelled cath slot
30–40%
Of cancels from anticoag management failures
35%
Slot fill rate with automated waitlist blast
438×
CaseFlow ROI vs. one recovered cath slot
Procedure Coverage

Every cardiac procedure type has different cancellation economics

From diagnostic cath to structural heart — CaseFlow covers the full spectrum of cardiac procedural complexity.

Cardiac Catheterization (Diagnostic + PCI)

$6,000–$8,500 / slot

High-volume cath lab bread-and-butter. Same-day cancel driven by missed anticoag hold — Plavix 5-day, Eliquis 48h, Xarelto 24h, warfarin INR confirmation at T-5d and T-1d. Cancellation cascades into blocked cath lab time, anesthetist, and scrub tech.

CaseFlow: Anticoag hold SMS + T-7d confirmation + waitlist blast

EP Studies + Ablations

$12,000–$18,000 / slot

Complex electrophysiology cases with significant pre-op workup. Antiarrhythmic holds, mapping system scheduling, fluoroscopy block. No-show rate ~8–10%. Cancellation means rebooking a multi-hour EP lab slot with limited availability.

CaseFlow: ASA scoring + medication hold tracking + anesthesia pre-op at T-21d

Pacemaker / ICD Implants

$15,000–$28,000 / slot

Device inventory lead time + anticoag bridge required. Day-1/3/7 post-op follow-up critical for device wound check, lead integrity symptoms, and defibrillator threshold feelings. Patient reports of shocks = immediate EP escalation.

CaseFlow: Device post-op check-ins + EP escalation triage

Structural Heart (TAVR / MitraClip)

$40,000–$60,000+ / slot

Multi-disciplinary team pre-op, cath lab + hybrid OR scheduling, heart team sign-off required. MDD clearance, anesthesia clearance, and vascular access confirmation all must be documented before the slot is confirmed. Last-minute cancel = $40K+ in OR and team time.

CaseFlow: OR-ready scoring + T-72h escalation + multi-specialty clearance

Peripheral Vascular (OBL / ASC)

$3,500–$8,000 / slot

Plavix hold 5-day, escort required for conscious sedation, NPO timing for vascular procedures. Peripheral interventions often done in OBL/ASC with lower staffing tolerance for last-minute cancel. CaseFlow handles the hold, the escort check, and the waitlist fill.

CaseFlow: Anticoag hold + escort confirmation + same-day fill
Revenue at Risk

The math for a 5-cardiologist group doing 12 cath cases/week

This isn't theoretical — it's your P&L. Run your own numbers in the ROI calculator.

5 cardiologists × 12 cath cases/week × 52 weeks × 15% cancel rate × $7,200/case
$2.24M
Annual revenue at risk
$784K
Recovered at 35% waitlist fill rate
$149
CaseFlow Solo / month
438×
Annual ROI
"CMS analysis of Medicare claims data shows same-day cancellation rates of 12–18% for elective cardiac catheterization procedures — higher than orthopedic surgery (8%) and on par with bariatric (14%). Anticoagulation management failures account for an estimated 30–40% of cath-day cancellations."
— CMS Outpatient Quality Monitoring, physician group data
Cardiology Features

CaseFlow maps to every point of cardiac pre-op complexity

Anticoag bridging is the #1 cardiology-specific problem — and CaseFlow is the only platform that automates drug-specific hold SMS with INR tracking. Every other feature builds from there.

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Anticoag Bridging Automation

The cardiology pre-op problem. Drug-specific hold windows: Eliquis 48h, Xarelto 24h, Plavix 5-day, warfarin INR T-5d + T-1d confirmation. Auto-SMS to patient with hold dates and INR lab order reminder. Unconfirmed holds escalate to coordinator by 6pm day prior.

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Anesthesia Pre-Op (ASA III/IV)

Cardiac patients frequently ASA III+. CaseFlow auto-classifies ASA risk from pre-op intake, routes to pre-anesthesia eval automatically, tracks cardiology consult for structural heart cases, and flags OR-ready status at T-72h.

NPO Compliance — Bilingual

Conscious sedation NPO timing (different from general anesthesia). Auto-sends bilingual NPO instructions day before. CaseFlow confirms NPO compliance morning-of and flags unconfirmed patients before the patient is in pre-op.

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Device Post-Op Check-Ins

Pacemaker/ICD patients: Day 1, 3, 7 check-ins. Device wound check, lead integrity symptoms, defibrillator threshold feelings. Auto-escalate to EP if patient reports shocks — flag within 60 seconds.

Same-Day Waitlist Slot Fill

Same-day cath cancellation → CaseFlow identifies auth-ready, cleared, financially-ready waitlist candidates → priority-ranked SMS blast → first YES fills the $7,200 slot in under 60 minutes.

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Pre-Auth Tracker — PCI / TAVR

PCI, stent, TAVR auth tracked with T-14/7/3d auto-chase. When auth is within 7 days of expiry, CaseFlow alerts your auth coordinator. When a denial lands inside the booking window, the slot opens and the waitlist blast fires immediately.

Patient SMS Cadence

The cath lab SMS sequence — from T-7d anticoag hold to day-of arrival

Every message is bilingual (English/Spanish) and routes patient replies to the cardiology coordinator inbox.

Cardiac Catheterization SMS Cadence Automated by CaseFlow
T-7 days
Anticoagulation hold instructions — drug-specific "Your procedure is scheduled for [DATE]. Your cardiologist has prescribed a medication hold. If you take Eliquis: hold 48 hours before your procedure. Plavix: hold 5 days. Warfarin: hold 5 days + get INR checked on [T-5 date] and [T-1 date]. Call us with any questions."
T-5 days
INR lab reminder — warfarin patients only "Reminder: Your INR must be checked on [T-5 date]. Please visit [lab info] and confirm results with your cardiologist before your procedure. Reply STOP if you need to reschedule."
T-3 days
Confirmation + NPO preview "Your cardiac catheterization is confirmed for [DATE]. Please fast — no food or drink after midnight. Continue holding [anticoagulant]. We'll send arrival instructions 3 hours before your procedure. Reply CONFIRM to confirm, or reply RESCHEDULE to request a new date."
T-1 day
NPO cutoff + arrival instructions + reschedule window "Your procedure is tomorrow at [TIME]. No food or drink after midnight — this includes water unless directed by your cardiologist. Your anticoagulant hold should still be active. Arrival instructions: [location info]. Reply EN ROUTE when you leave home. Need to reschedule? Reply RESCHEDULE — we can likely fill your slot with another patient."
Day-of
3h
"Your cath is in 3 hours — reply EN ROUTE when leaving" "Your cardiac catheterization is in 3 hours at [location]. Have you left home? Reply EN ROUTE so we know you're on the way. If you've forgotten to hold your anticoagulant or can't make it, reply HELP immediately so we can try to fill your slot."
Revenue Recovery Snapshot
A 3-cardiologist group doing 8 cath cases/week
8
Cath cases / week
15%
Cancel rate
$6,500
Avg. case value
$2,028
Revenue at risk / week
$709,800
Annual recovery (35% fill)

CaseFlow's anticoagulation hold SMS + same-day waitlist blast recovers 35% of cancelled cath slots. One recovered slot per week covers the annual cost of CaseFlow Solo.

FAQ

Common questions from cardiology programs

CMS analysis of Medicare claims data shows same-day cancellation rates of 12–18% for elective cardiac catheterization procedures — higher than orthopedic surgery (8%) and on par with bariatric (14%). Anticoagulation management failures account for an estimated 30–40% of cath-day cancellations. CaseFlow targets these predictable cancellations with automated hold SMS and same-day waitlist recovery.
Anticoagulation holds are the #1 preventable cause of same-day cath lab cancellations. Eliquis requires a 48-hour hold, Xarelto 24 hours, Plavix 5 days, and warfarin requires INR confirmation at T-5d and T-1d before the procedure. When a patient misses a hold reminder, arrives with anticoagulant in their system, and the case is postponed — the slot costs $7,200 in lost revenue plus the cath lab team's time. CaseFlow sends drug-specific hold SMS at T-7d and T-1d, confirms NPO compliance, and alerts your coordinator if a hold is unconfirmed before 6pm the day prior.
CaseFlow for cardiology covers: (1) Anticoagulation Bridging Automation — drug-specific hold SMS for Eliquis, Xarelto, Plavix, and warfarin INR tracking; (2) Pre-Auth Tracker — PCI, stent, TAVR auth with T-14/7/3d auto-chase; (3) Same-Day Waitlist Blast — priority-ranked blast filtered by auth status and readiness; (4) ASA III/IV Anesthesia Pre-Op — routes high-acuity cardiac patients to pre-anesthesia eval; (5) Device Post-Op Check-Ins — pacemaker/ICD Day 1/3/7 wound and lead check; (6) NPO Compliance — bilingual conscious-sedation NPO instructions. All SMS are bilingual (English/Spanish) and the triage inbox flags urgent responses in under 60 seconds.
Yes. CaseFlow integrates with the EHR platforms used by cardiovascular practices — including athenahealth, Modernizing Medicine (ModMed), and eClinicalWorks — via scheduling system webhooks and patient portal integration. New patient registrations, case scheduling, and anticoagulant protocol tags sync automatically. A standalone workflow is also available for programs without EHR integration. Contact hello@surgeoncaseflow.com to confirm compatibility with your specific setup.
Yes. The No Surprises Act (effective Jan 1, 2022) requires a written Good Faith Estimate (GFE) for self-pay and uninsured patients at least 3 business days before any scheduled service — with OIG penalties up to $10,000 per violation. CaseFlow auto-generates a GFE with itemized line items (cath lab facility fee, surgeon fee, anesthesia, device/implant estimate) when a self-pay case is scheduled. The patient receives a bilingual SMS link to review and e-acknowledge their GFE. All records are retained 6 years per CMS guidance, and a quarterly compliance report is available for auditors. Variance disputes ($400+ threshold) are tracked through resolution in the dashboard.

Every empty cath lab slot costs $7,200. CaseFlow recovers 35% of them — and it costs less than one recovered slot per month.

See the full anticoagulation hold SMS cadence, auth tracker, and same-day waitlist blast in the sandbox — pre-loaded with a cardiology practice example.