Funding

We manage an annual operating budget of $178 million to support the delivery of cardiac procedures across the province.

Funding is allocated to health authorities and managed through a number of accountability mechanisms, including site-specific service delivery agreements.

Funding is allocated on an activity-based model. Throughout the fiscal year, we work with the health authorities to respond to and manage cost pressures across the cardiac programs. Funding levels are adjusted based on:

supply cost changes
introduction of new technologies, devices or drugs
changes in patient acuity
savings from provincial tenders and efficiency improvements.

In 2015/16, the provincial cardiac budget was increased to allow significantly more heart surgeries, specialized heart surgeries and electrophysiology procedures. The costs associated with this increase were offset in part by savings in other areas.

Cardiac Services BC budget (in millions)

2013/14: $173.9
2014/15: $173.9
2015/16: $178.9

Cardiac procedures (number of procedures)

Heart surgeries (coronary artery bypass graft and other heart surgery)

2018/19: 3,821
2019/20: 3,700
2020/21: 3,528

Specialized heart surgeries (transcatheter heart valves, ventricular assist devices)

2018/19: 561
2019/20: 683
2020/21: 736

Cath lab procedures (diagnostic procedures, percutaneous coronary interventions)

2018/19: 23,621
2019/20: 23,599
2020/21: 22,774

Electrophysiology (simple and complex ablations, diagnostic procedures)

2018/19: 2,339
2019/20: 2,320
2020/21: 2,502

Devices

2018/19: 1289
2019/20: 1338
2020/21: 1171

Laser lead extractions

2018/19: 70
2019/20: 78
2020/21: 65