A few days later, she went grocery shopping with her grandson. Her case also seems to support claims from both companies that the techniques will lead to cost savings. But skeptics say the financial case isn't yet clear. The new approach may reduce in-patient stays, but a hospital's overall costs could actually rise, particularly with Heartport gear, because of the need for equipment purchases and additional expensive time in the operating room. Heartport says its method will be proved cost-effective.
Some insurers are skeptical.
Prudential HealthCare, a unit of Prudential Insurance Co. of America, won't endorse the new technique until more evidence of the benefits is amassed. In any case, most of the procedures are probably reimbursed because claims coding doesn't distinguish minimally invasive surgery from any other open-heart surgery. Using vessels harvested from the leg, arm or chest, doctors reroute blood flow around blockages in the arteries that feed the heart. Laying open the chest gives surgeons unfettered access. By stopping the organ and letting a heart-lung machine take over, doctors can do delicate stitching of tiny vessels on a still and bloodless surface.