SCAI highlights unique challenges impacting access to and quality of interventional cardiology care for children and adults with congenital heart disease (IC-CHD). These include inadequate Medicaid reimbursement, flawed procedure valuation, lower physician compensation, and limited incentives for pediatric device development. Such systemic barriers contribute to reduced access to specialized care, workforce shortages, and poorer outcomes, particularly among vulnerable and minority populations.

To address these gaps, SCAI advocates for policy reforms that promote payment parity, improve procedure valuation, increase representation in decision-making bodies, align funding models with patient needs, and streamline pathways for pediatric device approval. Achieving progress requires coordinated advocacy, education, and collaboration among physicians, professional societies, and policymakers to ensure equitable care and improved outcomes for CHD patients.

All authors: Lyndon C. Box, MD, FSCAI; Mark H. Hoyer, MD, FSCAI; Sergio Bartakian, MD, FSCAI; Sarosh P. Batlivala, MD, MSCI, FSCAI; James C. Blankenship, MD, MHCM, MSCAI; Joaquin E. Cigarroa, MD, MSCAI; Gurumurthy Hiremath, MD, FSCAI; Satyan Lakshminrusimha, MD; Jeremy M. Ringewald, MD, FSCAI; Curtis Rooney, JD;  Nicole J. Sutton, MD, FSCAI; Monica Wright, DPA, MHA, CPC, CPMA, CPCO; and Frank F. Ing, MD, MSCAI.