InsideVue community cardiology services

InsideVue in partnership with Surrey Cardiovascular Clinic has developed three proprietary community based cardiology diagnostic programmes: Heartscreen™, Heartscan™ and Heartrhythm™. 

A pilot undertaken between May and October 2008 has demonstrated the value and benefit to patients, GPs, secondary care and commissioning bodies which is summarised below:

For patients

• Rapid access with average waiting times of between 0-10 working days from receipt of referral.

• A convenient, re-assuring and personal community based service that places the patient centre stage as they receive private clinic standards of service and care.

• Patients are reassured by highly qualified clinicians who themselves work in mainstream NHS cardiology care.

• Patients receive easy to understand guidance and reassurance

For GPs

• Receiving reports within 2-4 working days of the test results becoming available.

• Heartscreen™ and Heartrhythm™ reports are provided with clear, concise and expert cardiologist interpreted results detailing diagnosis and a recommended course of action.  A quick glance Specialist Referral Index is provided to help GPs prioritise treatment.

• A care pathway that translates NICE guidelines into a practical, economic service.

• Heartscan™ reports are provided by highly experienced and qualified British Society of Echo Technicians and HPC accredited clinicians who are already part of the Surrey cardiology team.

• Faxed and posted reports reduce the likelihood of mislaid or lost documents.

• The Heartscreen™ programme allows an economic means to determine the need for a community echo thus minimising costs.  BNP results that have not been interpreted have been demonstrated to lead to a 40% reduction in echocardiograms in a number of national trials, the pilot run by InsideVue/SCVC has shown a reduction of almost 80% thanks to our cardiologist reporting system.

For acute trusts 

• A service that has been designed by consultant cardiologists from Surrey with a thorough insight into the needs of secondary care cardiology departments.

• Reduced pressures on the 18 week delivery programme (soon to become 9 weeks).

• The filtering out of patients enables hospital cardiology consultants to concentrate on added value, highly specialist interventional care rather than work lists populated with patients who could otherwise be screened out at a community level. This serves to improve speed of treatment to this category of patient.

• Patients who subsequently need a cardiology referral can be referred “worked-up” eliminating the need for duplicated testing and providing a potentially more productive first OP appointment.

For PCO/PBC commissioning groups

• A consultant designed and backed programme that is specifically tailored to seamlessly join secondary care needs with a community based diagnostics.

• The delivery of convenient highly cost effective services that are substantially below consultant HRG with the added benefit that no MFF is payable.

• An evidence based service with supporting data analysis provided independently by the Surrey Cardiology Network.

• An off the shelf diagnostic solution that can be quickly and easily commissioned which has been tested in service and refined in the light of operational experience.

• InsideVue/SCVC cardiologists and technicians are an integral part of the local NHS cardiology service and therefore enjoy a high level of confidence amongst GPs and their peers in secondary care.

• High quality, reliable tests undertaken using CPA accredited laboratories and state of the art imaging equipment.  

• The InsideVue/SCVC unique approach to reporting and interpretation saves time and the costs of repeated sub-standard testing or imaging that often occurs when using mobile screening services or point of care testing.

• No capital outlay - the service is plug n’ play.

• Services conform to NICE guidance with strong clinical governance provided via SCVC consultants on testing and reporting and the backing of BMI on imaging.