ACC Massachusetts Chapter Defeats
Restrictive Self-Referral Amendment
A heated battle over an egregious budget amendment
ended in a victory last week for the Massachusetts Chapter
of the ACC (MC-ACC). The amendment would have restricted the
ability of physicians to refer patients for imaging and other
diagnostic services in their own practices or to other physicians
in a group practice for these services. The amendment, backed
by radiologists and community hospitals, was slipped into
the House-passed budget bill without public hearings or debate
and was under consideration by House and Senate budget negotiators.
The amendment
was withdrawn after strong opposition from the medical
community, including a well-coordinated grassroots campaign
by MC-ACC members. The legislation is expected to reemerge
in 2005 as a topic of discussion in Massachusetts and other
states around the nation.
Register
for the ACC 2004 Legislative Conference
Join the ACC Sept. 13-15 in Washington, D.C. along with policymakers,
political insiders, advocacy experts, and ACC leaders, for
the single most important legislative advocacy event this
year for cardiovascular specialists. The ACC Legislative Conference
provides an opportunity to learn more about the federal legislative
process and to meet with lawmakers on important issues such
as medical liability reform and Medicare physician payment.
This conference is open to all ACC members, but space is limited,
so register
today!
AARP
Endorses Drug Importation Bill
The AARP is backing a Senate
bill that would allow importation of prescription drugs
from Canada and other foreign countries. Calling the bill
a step in the right direction, AARP’s leadership disclosed
plans to run a new advertising campaign in support of the
legislation. Sponsored by Sens. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Olympia
Snowe (R-Maine), the bill, S.2328, would allow U.S. residents
to import as much as a 90-day supply of prescription drugs
from FDA-approved Canadian pharmacies. The bill also provides
for importation of drugs from Canada by licensed pharmacists
and prescription drug wholesalers. In related news, congressional
investigators found that prescription drugs purchased over
the Internet are often safer if ordered through a Canadian
pharmacy than other online outlets. In conjunction with a
Senate Governmental Affairs subcommittee hearing on drug importation,
the General Accounting Office (GAO) released a study of online
prescription drug purchases made in the United States, Canada,
and 10 other countries. The study found that the Canadian
sites often had stricter standards than those of other countries
and investigators found few problems with orders placed on
Canadian Web sites.
House
Passes STOP Stroke Act
Legislation
aimed at raising awareness about stroke prevention and treatment
passed the House of Representatives this week and was sent
to the Senate for consideration. The Stroke Treatment and
Ongoing Prevention Act (STOP Stroke Act), H.R.3658, was passed
unanimously by the Senate in 2002, but stalled in the House.
The ACC has issued its support for the legislation and continues
to work with the STOP Stroke Act Coalition to support passage
of this legislation.
Debate
on Stem-Cell Research Heats Up Again in Washington
Members of Congress and patient advocacy groups are putting
pressure on President Bush to relax his guidelines on stem-cell
research. The issue has regained attention following the death
of former President Ronald Reagan, who suffered from Alzheimer’s
disease. The Reagan family continues to lead supporters of
stem-cell research, who believe that easing the current restrictions
on research that could lead to treatments for diseases that
affect millions of patients. Congressional leaders are considering
a legislative approach to easing the stem-cell policy if the
Bush administration does not act. White House spokesman Scott
McClellan has indicated that Bush does not intend to alter
his position on this issue. "The policy remains the same,"
McClellan said in a recent press briefing. "We are looking
at other ways to combat disease." (Wall Street Journal,
6/17)
Lawsuits
Filed Against Nonprofit Hospitals Over Billing Practices
A
study published this week by Families USA found that 82
million people in the United States were without health insurance
for at least one month in the last two years. As the number
of uninsured Americans is on the rise, nonprofit hospitals
are under increased scrutiny for their billing treatment of
patients lacking health insurance. On Wednesday, a group of
plaintiffs’ lawyers filed class-action suits in federal
courts against more than a dozen not-for-profit hospitals
contending that the facilities overcharged uninsured patients.
The suits argue that as tax-exempt institutions, nonprofit
hospitals are obligated to provide affordable care to the
uninsured. Representatives for the hospitals deny any wrongdoing
and argue that these lawsuits are "diverting focus from
the real issue of how we as a nation are going to extend health
coverage for all Americans." (New York Times,
6/17)
Mississippi
Governor Signs Liability Reform Law
Republican Gov. Haley Barbour signed a comprehensive tort
reform bill that keeps the $500,000 cap on noneconomic damages
adopted in 2002 for medical lawsuits and eliminates a cost-of-living
provision that would have raised the cap each year. The Tort
Reform Act of 2004 also caps punitive damages based on
the net worth of defendants. A March 2004 Harris Interactive
Survey ranked Mississippi’s legal system last among
state liability systems, reflecting lawyers’ assessment
of several litigation components, including judges’
impartiality and competence, juries’ predictability
and fairness, and overall treatment of tort and contract litigation.
The new law takes effect Sept. 1 and Gov. Barbour expressed
confidence that it will improve the state’s reputation
as an easy target for frivolous lawsuits. (AP, June 17)
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