Contact: Amy Murphy, amurphy@acc.org, 202-375-6476

Washington, DC – The American College of Cardiology (ACC) Chief Executive Officer, Jack Lewin, MD, made the following statement today after the failure in Congress to stop the scheduled 21 percent cut to Medicare’s physician reimbursements taking effect June 1:

"For the better part of the last three years, patients have anxiously waited as Congress goes from year-to-year, and recently, from month-to-month, making sure that physicians will be reimbursed through Medicare. But, this time we are left with the worst case scenario – Congress leaves town without even a band-aid therefore allowing substantial cuts to heart patients’ care to go through on June 1.

“Medicare shouldn’t be a political football held captive to election year politics. What cardiologists and their patients need is Congress to come together and find a permanent solution to repealing the SGR, and to develop a payment model that allows the delivery of high quality health care.

“So far, Congress has racked up a $370 billion 10-year accumulated debt on short-term fixes to the SGR. This band-aid approach is fiscally irresponsible and does nothing to control the costs of Medicare. And, it does a disservice to cardiologists trying to manage their practice expenses and deliver care to millions of patients fighting heart disease who depend on Medicare.”

About the American College of Cardiology
The American College of Cardiology is leading the way to optimal cardiovascular care and disease prevention. The College is a 39,000-member nonprofit medical society and bestows the credential Fellow of the American College of Cardiology upon physicians who meet its stringent qualifications. The College is a leader in the formulation of health policy, standards and guidelines, and is a staunch supporter of cardiovascular research. The ACC provides professional education and operates national registries for the measurement and improvement of quality care. More information about the association is available online at www.acc.org.

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