Independent cardiology, ASC migration, physician autonomy, and site-of-care economics take center stage as Jason Schifman sits down with Jasen Gundersen, MD, Co-Founder & CEO of Cardio One.

They explore why cardiology may be shifting back toward independent practice, Cardio One’s non-acquisition model, the economics driving ASC growth, and how the company helps employed cardiologists build independent practices with operational, technology, contracting, staffing, and revenue cycle support.

A must-listen for healthcare leaders, cardiology groups, MSOs, hospitals, payors, investors, and operators navigating the future of specialty care.

What You’ll Learn

✅ Why most cardiologists are now employed by health systems
✅ How ASC migration is changing the cardiology opportunity
✅ Why hospital outpatient department billing is under pressure
✅ What Cardio One means by physician “extractions”
✅ How independent cardiologists can rebuild autonomy and practice ownership
✅ Why patients may benefit from lower-cost, more convenient ambulatory care
✅ Why hospitals may need partnership models beyond direct employment
✅ How tech, revenue cycle, staffing, and ancillary services support independent practice

Key Timestamps

• (00:32) What Cardio One does
• (01:43) Cardiology employment shift
• (04:09) Cardiologists reclaiming independence
• (06:42) Hospital control and ASC barriers
• (09:40) Cardiac PET and reimbursement headwinds
• (12:46) Cardio One’s extraction model
• (16:40) Patient, physician, and hospital value
• (19:45) Right care, right site, right cost
• (22:15) ASC and OBL development
• (24:02) Hospital partnership opportunity
• (26:49) What makes extractions work
• (30:06) Tech stack and implementation model
• (33:06) Expanding the addressable market
• (35:07) Why Cardio One stays focused on cardiology
• (37:32) Future of cardiology models
• (39:46) Rhythm tech platform and interoperability

Key Takeaways

• 💎 Cardiology consolidated rapidly into hospital employment, but many physicians now want independence back.
• 💎 Cardio One supports cardiologists without acquiring or owning their practices.
• 💎 ASC migration creates new opportunities to move appropriate procedures out of high-cost hospital settings.
• 💎 The “extraction” model helps employed physicians rebuild independent practices with operational support.
• 💎 Patients can benefit from faster access, lower-cost sites of care, and more convenient office-based services.
• 💎 Hospitals may still be key partners, but employment does not have to be the only alignment model.
• 💎 Successful extractions require strong physician governance, office access, ancillary services, and disciplined execution.
• 💎 A cardiology-specific tech and operating platform can create scale without forcing practice ownership.

Guest Bio

Jasen Gundersen, MD is Co-Founder and CEO of Cardio One, a practice enablement platform built to support independent cardiologists. Cardio One helps physicians establish and operate independent practices through real estate, staffing, contracting, technology, revenue cycle, marketing, equipment, and operational support. Dr. Gundersen’s work focuses on physician autonomy, ambulatory cardiology, site-of-care transformation, and building scalable models that help cardiologists thrive outside traditional hospital employment.

Resource Links

Guest: Jasen Gundersen, MD – Co-Founder & CEO, Cardio One
Host: Jason Schifman – President & Co-Founder, SCALE Healthcare
Podcast: Analyzing Healthcare by SCALE Community
SCALE Community: https://www.scale-community.com

SEO Keywords

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