This Week at ACC
Final
Rule Includes Phased In Cuts for Cardiology
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on Friday released
its 2010 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule, which includes policies
that significantly reduce payments for cardiovascular-related services.
While CMS has attempted to mitigate the impacts of the cuts by spreading
them out over a four-year period, the impact of the cuts is still enormous
both for 2010 and beyond. Cuts of this magnitude—whether enacted
this year or spread over four—cannot be absorbed and we will continue
to fight the implementation of this data until a rigorous review is conducted.
The ACC understands
the very real impacts these cuts will have on your practices, your staff
and your patients. The College is exploring all options and staff and
leaders are working together to help you understand all of your options.
Click here
for a high-level summary of the policy proposals included in the rule.
More information over the coming weeks will be provided in Cardiology
magazine, ACC News and The ACC Advocate. Please also
plan to join ACC CEO Jack Lewin and President Alfred Bove, M.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 2010 rule. To RSVP for the call, click
here.
FTC
Delays Red Flags Rules Again
The
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has even further delayed implementation
of new rules aimed at preventing identity theft until June 1, 2010. The
ACC, the American Medical Association (AMA), Medical Group Management
Association (MGMA) and other medical associations have challenged the
rules’ inclusion of physicians as “creditors” because
they regularly defer payment for goods and services. The FTC released
rules in November 2007 requiring all financial institutions and “creditors”
to develop and implement a written program to protect consumers by identifying
potentially suspicious “red flags” that may signal identity
theft. The ACC is taking advantage of this newest reprieve to continue
efforts to have physicians removed from the creditor definition.
In the meantime, the
ACC recommends that practices begin preparing a written identity theft
detection and prevention program that complies with the new rules as a
contingency plan. The AMA,
MedAxiom and MGMA
have developed Red Flags Rule guidance documents and sample policies that
can be modified. The FTC also has developed a template that groups at
low risk can use to develop their programs, available
on its Web site.
Register:
CV Conference at Snowmass
Online
registration is now open for the 41st Annual Cardiovascular Conference
at Snowmass. Take part in the five-day, in-depth review and update on
the latest clinically relevant developments in cardiovascular disease
from Jan. 11 – 15, 2010 in Snowmass, Colo. Early registration rates
expire on Dec. 29. Click
here to learn more or register today!
ACC.10
& i2.10 Call for Science
Don't
miss your chance to be part of the future of cardiology at ACC.10 and
i2 Summit. The ACC is now accepting Late-Breaking Clinical Trial submissions.
Submit trials in general and interventional cardiology from major randomized
trials that will have significant impact on clinical practice.
New this year! Submit your challenging coronary or endovascular intervention
or structural heart disease case for presentation during i2 Summit Meet
the Experts sessions.
Click
here for more information on submitting your science to ACC.10 and i2
Summit.
ACC
Launches PINNACLE Network™
In
an effort to help practices not only survive, but thrive, in today’s
challenging health care environment, the ACC this week launched the new
PINNACLE Network™. This first-ever, registry-based cardiovascular
network is designed to provide practices with the tools they need to promote
practice innovations and achieve clinical excellence, linking thousands
of practices to each other and to the ACC's National Cardiovascular Data
Registry® (NCDR). The PINNACLE Network immediately addresses the rapidly
shifting business environment that private cardiovascular practices face
with a wealth of practice management and financial management tools. It
also builds a foundation for innovative, registry-based systems to reward
practices for the high quality care that they provide.
Specifically, the
PINNACLE Network builds on the College's commitment, experience and leadership
in cardiovascular care and forms a one-stop shop for practice management
tools, workflow and workforce solutions, educational and advocacy resources,
health information technology tools, risk management strategies for lowering
medical liability costs . The PINNACLE Network is powered by the PINNACLE
Registry™, formerly the IC3 Program, the nation’s
first operational office-based data registry. For more information on
the ACC’s PINNACLE Network visit www.pinnaclenetwork.org.
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