Senate Recognizes September 2009 as AFib Awareness Month
The Senate recently unanimously adopted a resolution (S.Res 262) designating September 2009 as “National Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month.” The resolution is intended to support efforts to educate people about atrial fibrillation and recognize the need for additional research into potential treatments.

House Panel Holds Hearing on Isotope Production Act
The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on the Environment on Sept. 9 held a hearing on the “American Medical Isotopes Production Act of 2009" (H.R. 3276). 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. Witnesses included Parrish Staples of the National Nuclear Security Administration, Steven Larson of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Michael Duggy of Lantheus Medical Imaging

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.

Sen. Baucus Introduces Health Reform Proposal
Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) today introduced "America's Health Future Act," a health reform proposal that would cost $856 billion over 10 years. The plan would require all individuals to purchase health insurance or pay a fine, with lower income individuals receiving subsidies to help afford the coverage. It also would bar insurance companies from certain practices such as denial for pre-existing conditions, coverage rescissions or annual caps or lifetime limits on coverage. In addition, the proposal would create a national insurance exchange for individuals and small businesses to purchase insurance. The plan does not include a public option but rather would create a network of not-for-profit health insurance cooperatives. Related to cardiology, the plan would:

• Replace the scheduled 21 percent Medicare physician payment cut with a 0.5 percent increase for 2010
• Require more timely feedback from the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI)
  Establish a PQRI appeals process and create a maintenance of certification participation option
• Encourage states to test medical liability reform options
• Create a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Innovation Center to test new Medicare payment structures, and
• Develop and evaluate bundling plan options to coordinate patient care.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has said he will bring together a group of Senate Democrats on Thursday to discuss the proposal. Sen. Baucus said the Finance Committee intends to take up the bill Sept. 22. For the summary visit: http://finance.senate.gov/press/Bpress/2009press/prb091609.pdf. The ACC has released a press release on the proposal.

FDA, Device Updates
Novartis and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have notified health care professionals that cases of pure red cell aplasia have been reported in patients treated with mycophenolate mofetil in combination with other immunosuppressive agents. MMF is metabolized to mycophenolic acid (MPA), the active ingredient in Myfortic and the active form of the drug. Read the complete MedWatch Safety summary.

Medtronic Inc. recently warned physicians that about 6,300 of the company’s Concerto and Virtuoso cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators may not meet expected device longevity due to gradually increasing current drain caused by low voltage capacitor degradation. This issue may present in the affected devices as reaching the recommended replacement time earlier than projected. This issue does not compromise device functionality or affect therapy delivery. Medtronic has received no reports of death or injury attributed to this issue. The “Dear Doctor” letter is available online.

Coverage Available Online for ACC’s 2009 Legislative Conference
The ACC held its 2009 Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 13-15. The conference brought together over 350 ACC members to learn more about current issues facing the cardiovascular community, including the proposed 2010 Physician Fee Schedule, health care reform, medical malpractice and state advocacy. Attendees made hundreds of visits to offices on Capitol Hill, reaching lawmakers and their staff on these very important issues. For coverage of the conference, visit ACC’s blog, The Lewin Report, for more on key sessions, posts from attending members, polls, videos and more.