American College of Cardiology

House Approves Health Reform Bill
The House approved on Saturday “The Affordable Health Care for America Act” (H.R. 3962). The ACC believes that the bill includes several positive policies to strengthen Medicare and cover the uninsured. It supports the bill’s inclusion of improvements to the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative and several opportunities to test new payment models. However, the ACC opposes several provisions in the bill, including payment cuts to imaging and the prohibition on specialty hospitals. The House also will consider a bill (H.R. 3961) that would repeal of the flawed sustainable growth rate formula, which the ACC supports.

House Approves Isotope Bill
The House recently approved the American Medical Isotopes Production Act (HR 3276) in a 400-17 vote. This bill would authorize $163 million over five years to start domestic production of molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) as soon as possible. Under the bill, the funds would be used to support private sector or research sector projects to establish domestic Mo-99 production.

In May, the Canadian reactor that usually supplies 60 percent of U.S. demand broke down and a major reactor in the Netherlands will shut down for necessary maintenance later this month. The Netherlands shutdown will leave the total global production capacity at approximately 10 percent of normal levels for one month. The ACC and other cardiovascular specialty societies endorse the legislation. More information about the shortages is available on the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology’s Web site.

All-Member Call on Thursday on Payment Cuts
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ 2010 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule includes policies that significantly reduce payments for cardiovascular-related services. Substantial changes in coding will occur in 2010 for myocardial perfusion/SPECT imaging, coronary computed tomography angiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. The College is working to help you understand all of your options and online tools are available to assist in preparing for the cuts, including a practice impact calculator and frequently-asked questions about changes to consultation codes. Click here for a high-level summary of the policy proposals included in the rule. In addition, please plan to join ACC CEO Jack Lewin, M.D., and President Alfred Bove, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.C., for an all-member call on Nov. 12 from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. (EST) to discuss the rule. To RSVP for the call, click here. More coverage of the rule is available from Cardiovascular Business magazine.

2010 Changes to the E-Prescribing Bonus Program
As part of the 2010 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized provisions affecting the 2010 E-Prescribing Incentive Program. Practitioners who successfully participate in the e-prescribing program will earn a bonus of 2 percent of their 2010 applicable Medicare allowed charges. The changes include:

• An expansion of services with which the e-prescribing charges must be associated to include skilled nursing facilities and home visits in addition to office visits
• Revisions to the method of reporting. Successful use of a qualified e-prescribing system in 2010 will be reported as at least one e-prescription for 25 separate patient encounters rather than 50 percent of applicable cases
• New e-prescribing system requirements under Medicare Part D. Meeting Part D standards is required to successfully participate in the e-prescribing program and practices should consult with their vendor to determine if their system meets these new standards
• Addition of a new group practice reporting option. This option enables groups of 200 or more eligible professionals operating under one tax identification number to submit 2,500 separate e-prescribing events to quality for the bonus.

For more information, visit: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/pqri/.

FDA News Updates
FDA and Edwards Lifesciences notified health care professionals about the Class 1 recall of CardioVations EndoClamp Aortic Catheter, Model Numbers EC1001 and EC65. The recall was initiated because the balloon catheters may spontaneously rupture during surgery. This product was manufactured from August 2008 through August 2009 and distributed from November, 2008 through September, 2009. Read the complete MedWatch 2009 Safety summary.

FDA notified health care professionals that it is investigating energy levels in external biphasic defibrillators with shocks = 200 Joules (J). FDA received reports of 14 events since 2006 in which a 200 J biphasic defibrillator was ineffective in providing defibrillation/cardioversion therapy to a patient. Analysis of the cases does not suggest the need for any change to current clinical practice but FDA is seeking additional information in order to interpret their significance. If you suspect a problem with a defibrillator, the problem should be reported to FDA through the adverse events reporting system online, by phone at 1-800-332-1088, or by returning the postage-paid FDA form 3500. Read the complete MedWatch 2009 Safety summary.

ACC to Pilot CV Practice Recognition Program
The ACC is ready to pilot its Cardiovascular Practice Recognition Program (CVRP). The CVRP is a practice-level assessment and recognition program designed to:

• Establish relevant goals and targets for cardiovascular specialists and their practices to achieve;
• Provide a road map to guide performance improvement and practice transformation strategies;
• Bring consistency to market by standardizing the methodology for how cardiovascular practices are assessed and recognized.

The ACC needs practices to help test the feasibility of implementing the CVRP. If your practice is interested in participating, click here for more information. Practices must complete the practice profile on or before Nov. 25 to be considered for participation in the pilot.

Health IT Committee Launches Blog on EHR Experiences
The Health Information Technology (IT) Standards Committee’s Implementation Workgroup – part of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT – has launched a blog to seek feedback from practices about their experiences with electronic health record adoption. The results will be reported to the Standards Committee on Nov. 19. Post comments on the blog.

eHealth Initiative to Hold Annual Conference
The eHealth Initiative on Jan. 25-26, 2010, will host its sixth annual conference, Delivering on the Promise of eHealth, with the support of the ACC. The conference will highlight specific examples of how eHealth programs are being pursued across the country, as well as address challenging questions about the ability of the U.S. to move towards universal, meaningful use of health information technology (IT) to improve health. The eHealth Initiative's conference will critically examine meaningful use and other policy options and help attendees understand how health IT can improve the quality, safety and efficiency of health care. Policymakers, industry leaders, clinicians and patients will participate in engaging panel discussions and adversarial debates revolving around eHealth issues that affect the U.S. health care system. Exclusive early bird registration rates are available until Nov. 25. Register now.