Senate Finance Begins Health Reform Mark Up
The Senate Finance Committee this week will begin its long anticipated markup of its health care reform legislation ("America's Healthy Future Act of 2009") on Wednesday. The ACC is pleased that the bill, drafted by Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.), attempts to expand coverage to every American and strengthen Medicare. However, the College has concerns with several of the provisions, including a mere one-year Band-aid to the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula used to calculate Medicare physician payment rather than a permanent fix, as included in the House bill. The ACC will continue to work with Sen. Baucus and members of Senate on recommendations to improve quality and reduce costs in cardiovascular care. Stay tuned for more information on the mark up.

In general, the ACC stands ready to support congressional efforts to reform the health care system and is urging leaders in both the House and Senate to act this year on real health care reform that:

• Ensures access to affordable health care for all Americans;
• Includes delivery and payment system reforms that provide incentives for improvement of quality and outcomes;
• Repeals the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula used to calculate Medicare physician payment;
• Emphasizes professionalism and patient-centered care;
• Improves care coordination across sources and sites through interoperable health information technology;
• Implements medical liability reforms that reduce legal and defensive medicine costs; and
• Promotes comparative effectiveness research to better inform guidelines, performance measures and appropriate use criteria.

For more on ACC’s health care reform efforts, visit: http://qualityfirst.acc.org.

House E & C Committee Finalizing Markup of Health Reform Bill
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce this week is expected to consider several amendments to its health reform bill (H.R. 3200) that were left pending just before the August congressional recess. The ACC continues to make sure that an amendment by Reps. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) and Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) to eliminate the ability of physicians to provide advanced diagnostic imaging services in their offices beginning in 2013 is kept out of the bill. Special thanks to all of the ACC members who have contacted their representatives on the Energy and Commerce Committee asking them to oppose this amendment. ACC staff and leaders continue to meet regularly with members of Congress about the benefits of appropriate use criteria and clinical guidelines to ensure that the right tests are delivered at the right time to the right patients. The ACC also supports mandatory imaging laboratory accreditation to improve the quality of imaging.

FDA News Updates
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Novartis’ hypertension treatment Valturna (valsartan/aliskiren) for patients who have high blood pressure uncontrolled on aliskiren or angiotensin receptor blocker monotherapy and as a first-line therapy for patients likely to need multiple treatments. The FDA also recently approved Zargis Medical Corporation’s Signal X6 heart and lung scanner, which can complete cardiac scans and deliver them through the Internet to specialists. In addition, the FDA has cleared the U.S. launch of St. Jude Medical’s EnSite Velocity cardiac mapping system, which is designed to help physicians diagnose and guide therapy to treat abnormal heart rhythms.

In related news, the FDA announced that Medtronic has issued a Class I recall of LIFEPAK CR Plus automated external defibrillators manufactured and distributed from July 9, 2008, to August 19, 2008. The FDA said that in extreme humidity, the devices improperly analyze heart rhythm, leading to late or missed shocks that could cause serious injury. Any adverse events or quality problems that may be related to the use of this product should be reported to the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online or by phone [1-800-332-1088].

HHS Secretary, Vermont Governor Announce Medical Home Pilot
ACC CEO Jack Lewin, M.D., discusses a new medical home pilot announced by Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas (R) last week on ACC’s blog, The Lewin Report. The program will fund state pilots that create medical homes with teams of primary care physicians and coordinators to better manage patient care and reduce costs. Read more about the pilot and respond.

HHS Announces Prevention, Wellness Initiative
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Sept. 17 announced a $650 million initiative to increase community prevention and wellness, called Communities Putting Prevention to Work. The funds, which were allocated by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will be used to increase physical activity, improve nutrition, decrease obesity and decrease smoking in U.S. communities. Currently, communities and tribes can apply for $373 million funds to participate in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-led initiative, with the remainder of the funds made available in the coming weeks to support, extend and evaluate the reach and impact of the community projects.

Administration Announces $25M for Malpractice Reform Pilots
Shortly after a Congressional address from President Barack Obama on health care reform, the Obama administration announced it would make available $25 million in state and health care system grants to experiment with solutions to medical malpractice. The grants are worth up to $3 million each for three years to pilot a variety of malpractice solutions. The ACC has long-held that caps on non-economic damages and other reforms have the most significant impact on stabilizing malpractice premiums. For more on ACC’s views on medical malpractice, visit The Lewin Report.