A recent article in Health Affairs examined the supply and distribution of the cardiology workforce across the country given “a sufficient cardiology workforce is necessary to ensure access to cardiovascular care. Specifically, access to cardiologists is important in the management and treatment of chronic cardiovascular disease.”  The paper was co-authored by Harlan Krumholz, MD, FACC, a member of the ACC Board of Trustees and professor of medicine and epidemiology and public health at Yale University School of Medicine.

The results showed that there has been a modest increase in the cardiology workforce over the past 12 years, whereas the primary care physician and entire physician workforce shortages are more pronounced. But there’s also a big disparity in the geographic distribution of cardiologists across the country, specifically in rural and socioeconomically disadvantaged areas.

As the U.S. “baby boomer” population becomes older, it is clear we will need to rely on team-based practice models to deal with the cardiovascular demands on the U.S. health care system that are certain to increase. A team-based model will enable delivery system and quality of care improvements as it offers solutions to the workforce shortage, and will expanded physician productivity, and improve job satisfaction by reducing workloads and preventing burnout.

According to the CDC, since 1950, age-adjusted death rates from cardiovascular disease have declined 60 percent, representing one of the most important public health achievements of the 20th century. Despite this huge reduction in morbidity and mortality, just imagine what we can accomplish when we work together in a team-based setting using NCDR^® and PINNACLE Registry^® data to systematically improve patient outcomes, and simultaneously improve efficiency and value.

We still have a long way to go in fighting the leading cause of death in the U.S., so let’s get to it!