On Demand: How to Build a Profitable ECMO Program in 12 Months-Webinar Recording

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The webinar, hosted by MedAxiom and sponsored by Integration Health, focused on “How to Build a Sustainable ECMO Program in 12 Months,” featuring leaders from Our Lady of the Lake (OLOL) and Integration Health. Speakers described ECMO’s growth in adult care, driven by expanding indications (respiratory failure, cardiogenic shock, and ECPR) and improved outcomes—reported as over 70% survival overall and over 90% for patients surviving the first 24 hours. Despite this, fewer than 500 U.S. hospitals offer ECMO, largely due to misconceptions that it is financially draining, too complex, or has poor survival.<br /><br />OLOL shared its 12-year journey toward launching ECMO, noting prior barriers: lack of a committed physician champion, staffing constraints, and competing operational priorities. Momentum accelerated in 2023 when an experienced ECMO intensivist joined and the hospital partnered with Integration Health. The partnership provided embedded project management, clinical training across disciplines, Epic build support (flowsheets/navigators), equipment selection, and a strong revenue-cycle framework. Emphasis was placed on getting coding, documentation, charge capture, and billing correct from day one, as many hospitals underbill ECMO.<br /><br />OLOL went live in March 2024, treated its first patient in May, exceeded expected volume, achieved strong early outcomes, and became the region’s first ECMO program. The discussion highlighted sustainability strategies: cohorting patients to one unit, continuous education, regional outreach/transport development, and a phased transition from outsourced staffing to internal capability.

Keywords

ECMO program development

sustainable ECMO program

adult ECMO indications

ECPR extracorporeal CPR

ECMO survival outcomes

hospital ECMO implementation timeline

Integration Health partnership

Epic ECMO build flowsheets navigators

ECMO revenue cycle coding billing charge capture