Senate
Panel Holds Delivery System Roundtable; Approves Sebelius
The
Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday held a roundtable on health
system delivery reform. Senators discussed a variety of issues
within the delivery system, including coordination of care,
payment reform, patient responsibility, the impending workforce
shortage, among other issues. Speaking at the roundtable were
experts within the health care community, including Medicare
Payment Advisory Commission Chair Glenn Hackbarth, who said
that the areas most in need of monetary investment are health
information technology, comparative effectiveness research
and improving access. President and CEO of Geisinger Health
System Glenn Steele, M.D., spoke about the lessons to be learned
from its health system. Geisinger has found that improving
quality lowers costs, Steele said. The committee will hold
similar roundtables on coverage and financing of reform in
coming weeks in preparation for its action on reform legislation
this summer. The ACC has met with the Finance Committee to
share its views on ideal health care reform.
During
the roundtable, the Senate Finance Committee approved the
nomination of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) for secretary
of the Department of Health and Human Services by a 15-8 vote.
The full Senate will vote on her confirmation, although timing
on the vote is “uncertain,” according to the Associated
Press. For more information about the College’s
health care reform efforts, visit: qualityfirst.acc.org.
Health
Care Reform to Heat up This Summer, Lawmakers Say
The
Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Democratic
lawmakers are likely to focus on health
care reform legislation before this summer because they
believe it could succeed, providing them with a “more
tangible accomplishment to present to financially stressed
voters.” Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.)
and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair
Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) sent
a letter to President Obama on Monday confirming their
committees plans to mark up a reform bill in June. In the
House, leaders have pledged to have a reform bill prepared
for a vote in August. For more coverage of health care reform
news, visit: http://lewinreport.acc.org.
REGULATORY
Coding
Alert: NCCI Corrects Echo "Add on" Codes
On
April 1, 2009, the National Correct Coding Inititive (NCCI)
removed its restriction on billing the echocardiography "add-on"
codes (CPT 93320 and 93325) together. The NCCI accepted the
ACC recommendation to retroactively remove the coding edit
and permit medical providers to bill these codes with the
appropriate echocardiography CPT code during the same visit
on the same day.
+
93320 - Doppler echocardiography, pulsed wave
and/or continuous wave with spectral display (List separately
in addition to code for echocardiographic imaging); complete
+ 93325 - Doppler echocardiography
color flow velocity mapping (List separately in addition
to code for echocardiographic imaging)
The College
advises its members and office practices to resubmit any claims
on or after Jan. 1, 2009 denied for using both CPT 93320 and
93350 together. For more information about coding changes
for 2009, see The
ACC 2009 Guide to Cardiology Coding and Payment Changes.
Arrow
IAB Catheter Recalled The
Food and Drug Administration and Teleflex Medical have notified
health care professionals of the Class I recall of Arrow International
30cc, 40cc and 55cc Intra Aortic Balloon Pump catheters, a
component of the Intra-Aortic Pump System. The catheter is
being recalled because of a fault in the connector of the
pump tubing assembly, which can result in failure of the system
to decrease ischemia and increase perfusion. This can lead
to organ injury or infarct, and may result in patient death,
as well as other cardiac events. Read the full MedWatch
Safety Summary.
QUALITY
Save
the Date! 2009 Legislative Conference SAVE
THE DATE: The American College of Cardiology’s
2009 Legislative Conference will take place Sept. 13-15 at
the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, D.C. We hope you will take
advantage of this opportunity to help educate Congress about
the important work the ACC is doing in the areas of Medicare
reform, health care reform, and research and prevention. Reservation
information is coming soon. Check acc.org
for updates.
