Senate
Finance Chair Introduces Medicare Reform Package Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.)
on Friday introduced a Democrat-supported Medicare reform
bill, which he plans to bring to the Senate floor for a vote
the week of June 9. Baucus’ bill would block any payment
cuts until Dec. 31, 2009, and offer a 0.5 percent positive
update for the remainder of 2008 and a 1.1 percent positive
update for 2009. The bill also would extend until Jan. 1,
2011, the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) with
a bonus payment of 2 percent for 2009 and 2010. Related to
imaging, the bill would require that facilities performing
advanced diagnostic imaging services be accredited by Jan.
1, 2012. The physician-related policies of this bill meet
many of the ACC’s priorities for Medicare legislation.
Also last week, Senate Finance Committee ranking member Charles
Grassley (R-Iowa) released a virtually identical outline of
the physician-related provisions expected to be in alternative
legislation he is developing. In the imaging section, however,
it also includes imaging disclosure requirements. The ACC
continues to support both Sens. Baucus and Grassley in their
efforts to stabilize physician payment and ensure quality
care for patients. It is critical that each and every ACC
member call their senators and urge them to support an 18-month
positive update, while opposing any cuts to physician services,
such as medical imaging. To take action, visit http://www.acc.org/can
or call the ACC’s toll-free Grassroots Hotline at (800)
210-7193. To view an all-member e-mail alert that contains
additional information on the bills, click
here.
House
Republicans Introduce HIT Bill House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health ranking
member Dave Camp (R-Mich.) and several additional House Republicans
last week introduced a health information technology (HIT)
bill (H.R. 6179), called the “Promoting Health Information
Technology Act of 2008.” The bill would provide incentives
to adopt HIT by allowing physicians who purchase HIT to deduct
a larger portion of the expense more quickly; eliminate the
Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) 2013
end-date for allowing hospitals to provide physicians with
electronic health record (EHR) software; and expand the Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ EHR demonstration
project. The bill would also codify the Office of the National
Coordinator for HIT and require the HHS secretary to develop
a strategic plan for HIT and privacy standards among federal
bodies involved in the development of HIT. In addition, the
bill includes provisions to assist in ensuring patient privacy.
Co-sponsors of the bill include: Reps. Wally Herger (R-Calif.),
Jim Ramstad (R-Minn.), Phil English (R-Pa.), Jerry Weller
(R-Ill.), Kenny Hulshof (R-Mo.), Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.), Jon
Porter (R-Nev.), Charles Boustany (R-La.) and Tom Price (R-Ga.).
For more information about the ACC’s HIT initiatives,
visit http://www.acc.org/heathIT.
REGULATORY
AND PAYER
CMS
To Publish 2007 PQRI Reports The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
in mid-July will make available 2007 PQRI Final Feedback Reports
on a secure Web site. The reports will be made available to
each practice, identified by a Taxpayer Identification Number,
under which at least one participating professional reported
2007 PQRI quality measures data. The reports will include
information on reporting rates, clinical performance and incentives
earned by individual professionals. They will also include
summary information on reporting success and incentives earned
at the practice level.
Although the reports are not yet available, CMS recommends
that practices set up an online account to ensure they will
be able access their reports as soon as available. At this
point in time, only practices with multiple professionals
or individual professionals with staff members who will access
the feedback reports should register. Other professionals
should wait until further notice. Professionals should not
register if they did not participate in the 2007 PQRI program.
For more information, read the CMS Medicare Learning Network's
newsletter here
and here.
In addition, visit the PQRI Web site by clicking
here.
FDA
Approves Small Heart Pump The Food & Drug Administration has approved a
temporary heart pump manufactured by Abiomed, Inc., called
Impella 2.5, for use in high-risk patients who need a stent
or are recovering from a heart attack. The device, which can
pump as much as 2.5 liters of blood per minute, is inserted
with a catheter through the femoral artery into the heart.
It is approved for use in patients for up to six hours. Abiomed
on their Web site called the Impella 2.5 the “world’s
smallest heart pump.”
QUALITY
Registration
for First CBCCT Exam Still Open The Certification Board of Cardiovascular Computed
Tomography (CBCCT) has set July 25 as the close of late registration
for the first examination for certification in CCT. Qualifying
ACC members are encouraged to apply for the exam, at a cost
of $1,095.00, before this deadline. The exam, which will be
held on Sept. 22, is offered in Prometric testing centers
across the country and will consist of up to 200 multiple-choice
questions, lasting 4.5 hours. Each question will include four
choices, only one of which is the correct or best answer,
and some questions involve the interpretation of images and
figures. The questions are based on a fall 2007 analysis of
the practice of CCT, which was intended to define the responsibilities,
tasks and knowledge necessary for physicians to practice in
the CCT field. A tutorial that includes sample questions is
available online here. The Candidate Bulletins and application
forms are available at the CBCCT Web site here.
