American College of Cardiology

Senate HELP Committee Releases Health Reform Proposals
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) last week outlined its broad goals for reforming the American health care system. Among the top goals: improving the delivery system; enhancing prevention and wellness; reducing fraud and abuse in public and private health systems; and establishing shared responsibility for financing reform efforts. To reach these goals, the Committee suggests that health care reform legislation should encourage adoption and use of health IT; promote evidence-based medicine; facilitate health literacy; and include strategies for tackling preventable medical errors and hospital readmissions, as well as better managing chronic conditions through care coordination, medical homes and community health teams. ACC staff is working with leaders in the Senate and House as they continue to flesh out these and other proposals and develop overarching health reform legislation. For the latest information on health reform, visit http://qualityfirst.acc.org.

Meanwhile, President Obama met this week with key Democratic senators and reaffirmed his support for the creation of a government-sponsored health insurance plan — a move that could make it difficult to get Republican support for overarching health reform legislation. Read more in the New York Times and The Washington Post.

Prepping for the ICD-10 Transition
The current ICD-9 codes that have been used to code health diagnoses for more than 20 years will be retired and replaced as of Oct. 1, 2013, with new ICD-10 codes. While still four years away, the ACC is encouraging members to begin familiarizing themselves with the new codes and preparing for the transition now, including inquiring with software and EHR vendors about ICD-10 compliance. A preliminary version of the U.S. codes is available at www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/otheract/icd9/icd10cm.htm. Although this version is likely to change substantially before 2013, it provides a window into the degrees of precision that are available under the new system. More information is also available on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Web site at www.cms.hhs.gov/ICD10/. This month's issue of Cardiology magazine also goes into greater detail on the transition and what physicians and practices can do to prepare.

ACC EHR Toolkit Helps Practices Navigate Health IT Requirements
By 2011 the Federal government will start paying bonuses to those practices that have adopted and are “meaningfully using” electronic health records (EHRs). As of 2015, practices could be penalized for not making the switch. Choosing the right electronic health record (EHR) depends on a variety of factors, including practice goals, office size, technological capabilities, expertise and cost, among others. With so many office-dependent issues to take into consideration, it is no wonder that the process can appear to be daunting. To that end, the ACC has put together helpful hints for selecting and implementing an EHR, as well as compiled a list of outside resources and selection tools. For the complete EHR toolkit, go to www.acc.org/healthit.

ACC Releases Updated AUC for Cardiac Radionuclide Imaging
The American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF), along with key specialty and subspecialty societies, has released updated appropriate use criteria for cardiac radionuclide imaging (RNI). The document is a revision of the original Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography Myocardial Perfusion Imaging (SPECT MPI) Appropriateness Criteria, published in 2005. The updated Appropriate Use Criteria for RNI represents the first attempt to update an existing AUC document to reflect changes in test utilization and new clinical data. For the complete criteria, go to: http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/full/j.jacc.2009.02.013#SEC5. For more information on appropriate use criteria and tools to help you apply the criteria in practice go to: www.acc.org/auc. Read more about the new SPECT RNI criteria in this month’s Cardiology magazine.

LAST CHANCE: Register Now for Symposium on Payment Reform, CV Disease
In partnership with Avalere Health, the ACC presents “Raising the Bar: Payment Reform and Cardiovascular Disease” on June 12, 2009, in Washington, D.C. The event will feature ACC CEO Jack Lewin, M.D., William Oetgen, M.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.C, from Georgetown University, Len Nichols, Ph.D., from the New America Foundation, Francois de Brantes, M.S., M.B.A., from Bridges to Excellence, among other health care leaders. The symposium will examine payment reform through the lens of cardiovascular disease and focus on payment models that promise to shift toward value-based purchasing. View registration and agenda information.