Heart disease is the number one killer and the costs of diagnosing and treating cardiovascular diseases are increasing. “Chiefs, directors of cardiology and cardiologists need to reign in the costs and keep the bottom line healthy, while maintaining excellent patient care,” explains Chris Kaiser. “Cardiovascular Business aims to provide them with the information they need to make informed decisions.”

The new magazine looks at the business aspects of cardiovascular medicine, the economics behind clinical, interventional and surgical technologies as well as pharmaceutical therapies. Whereas a clinically focused magazine might present a cardiovascular information system (CVIS) by explaining its features and how they can be integrated with other software and devices to provide clinical excellence, the new magazine takes a slightly different approach.

Chris Kaiser: “In our magazine, we will explain why having such a CVIS is important for the hospital’s bottom line. With an advanced integrated information system, cardiologists might be able to complete their procedures in less time, thereby increasing patient throughput, or the physician would simply do a better job because all of the relevant data is at his or her fingertips. In that scenario, the need for a repeat procedure is eliminated. Multiply that over and over again and you’ll see considerable savings.”

Besides the bi-monthly magazine, information can also be found online. How important is a website to a printed magazine these days? “That’s like asking parents which one of their two children they love most,” says Chris Kaiser. “Both are important and you can no longer separate the two.” The magazine's online presence bridges the time between the publication of two issues and hosts a weekly newsletter to keep readers informed about breaking news in cardiology.

The website will provide targeted portals for key market segments of cardiovascular medicine such as advanced visualization. “Due to the 3D postprocessing options with scanning techniques such as computed tomography, advanced visualization is becoming more important than ever in cardiology.”

Cardiovascular imaging and picture archiving information systems (PACS) are also gaining importance. “While radiology images are typically static, cardiovascular information is more dynamic and provides its own technological challenges,” says Chris Kaiser. Electrophysiology is another important topic: “With the rise in ablative procedures for arrhythmias, as well as the increase in implantable cardiac defibrillators, EP labs are coming into their own. This presents a new set of economic and managerial challenges for cardiology departments in particular and hospitals in general.”

With many drug trials being conducted in cardiovascular medicine, pharmaceutical therapy is another important portal, gathering interest from a wide audience. “Results from the numerous trials seem to be published on a weekly basis, and they can sometimes seem biased, depending on who is talking about them. We at the magazine have a responsibility to report these data in an accurate fashion, taking advantage of many experts in the field to help us sift through the various interpretations,” says the editor.

In a tight market with a high rate of vendor consolidation, the magazine is not alone in feeling the pressure from vendors to be more promotional rather than provide content that helps the reader make an informed and educated choice. “Vendors often suggest topics or contribute articles – and that’s fine,” says Chris Kaiser. “It’s a dance we’re all used to and we are constantly vigilant not to stray into the ‘advertorial’ arena. In the end, the reader is much better served with unbiased and accurate information.”(AG)

Contact Chris Kaiser at ckaiser@cardiovascularbusiness.com