New Medicare Vote Likely This Week Any day now, the Senate is likely to vote again on H.R. 6331, the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, after returning Tuesday from Independence Day recess. This vote is another chance for lawmakers to reverse the 10.6 percent cut in physician payment under Medicare that went into effect July 1. We MUST keep the pressure on lawmakers to vote in favor of Medicare legislation that provides 18 months of positive physician payment updates and reverses the cuts retroactively. Please contact your senators at the ACC's toll-free Grassroots Hotline at (800) 210-7193 or by clicking here. To find out how your senator voted previously, click here.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that its contractors will not process claims under the negatively adjusted formula from July 1 until July 15. The ACC does not recommend that members hold claims at this time. Look for more information about the vote in the coming days at ACC.org.
REGULATORY
AND PAYER
CMS Releases Proposed 2009 Fee Schedule, HOPPS Rule CMS last week released its proposed 2009 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, which includes provisions for the revision of payments for physician services, including imaging. Under the rule, physician payments would be cut by 5.4 percent on Jan. 1, 2009, as a result of the flawed SGR formula. The ACC is currently reviewing the rule and more information will be provided over the coming weeks regarding specific impacts to imaging and other cardiovascular services, coding changes, and possible implications for PQRI. For more on the rule, click here.
In other updates, CMS on July 3 released a proposed rule that would update 2009 payment rates for hospital outpatient departments and ambulatory surgical centers (ASC) under the Outpatient Prospective Payment System and the ASC Prospective Payment System (ASC PPS). The ASC PPS changes are intended to align the ASC rates with the ambulatory payment classification groups that are used to pay for services in hospital outpatient departments. The proposed rule includes a 3 percent annual inflation update to Medicare payment rates for most services that would be paid under the OPPS in 2009. The rule also would:
Require that hospitals report data in 2008 on seven quality measures of emergency department and perioperative surgical care to receive the full OPPS payment in 2009;
Issue a single payment for multiple ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging services performed in a single hospital session; and
Reduce the amount that beneficiaries would pay for outpatient services as part of a gradual transition to 20 percent coinsurance.
Comments on the rule will be accepted until Sept. 2, 2008, with a final rule issued by Nov. 1, 2008. For more information on the proposed OPPS changes, click here. For more information on the proposed ASC PPS changes, click here.
FDA Approves XIENCE™ Stent The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on July 2 approved the XIENCE™ V Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent, manufactured by Abbott Vascular, a subsidiary of Abbott Laboratories, Inc., for the treatment of coronary artery disease. The stent, which will be launched in the US immediately, will be available on both over-the-wire and rapid exchange delivery systems. Everolimus has been shown to inhibit in-stent neointimal growth in the coronary vessels following stent implementation, according to Abbott. FDA has asked Abbott to follow 5,000 patients implanted with the stent for at least five years to watch for blood clots. The company will also study the optimal length of time for XIENCE stent patients to take anti-clotting drugs to prevent blockages, according to FDA spokesperson Karen Riley. For additional information, visit the FDA Web site by clicking here.
QUALITY
E-Rx Networks To Merge On July 1, the Washington Post reported that e-prescription networks SureScripts and RxHub announced that the two companies will merge. The merger is intended to encourage the adoption of e-prescribing technology by physicians, according to the companies. Previously, SureScripts was responsible for routing prescriptions to pharmacies, while RxHub routed prescriptions to mail-order firms. The separation of the two companies made it necessary for e-prescribing software to connect with both networks. Under the merger, physicians will be able to send all prescription data through the network, to be called SureScripts-RxHub, and review patients’ prescription drug coverage and prescription drug history. To read the Washington Post coverage in full, click here. To learn more about the College's efforts to promote HIT, visit http://www.acc.org/HealthIT.
Register Now: ACC’s 2008 Legislative Conference Registration is now open for the ACC’s 2008 Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. This year’s conference will take place Sept. 14 – 16 at the Fairmont Hotel. Don't miss this unique opportunity to help advocate for fair and sound policies that ensure cardiovascular specialists can practice medicine in a manner that provides the greatest value for patients. Participants will learn about key issues facing the cardiovascular community and be able to educate their respective lawmakers about the need for the cardiovascular community to be at the table when it comes to improving patient access, reforming Medicare and ensuring any new health care system moves beyond process to focus on outcomes.
The ACC has made a select number of travel awards available to FITs, CCAs, and cardiologists in their first few years of practice to cover up to $1,000 in airfare, hotel and other expenses. To apply for these awards, interested FITs and CCAs should send an email by July 11 with their full name, address and a brief explanation on why they’d like to attend. CCAs should send their email to Kelli Bohannon (kbohanno@acc.org), and FITs to Kelly Ventura (kventura@acc.org). Award recipients will be announced in July. For more information, click here.
