Language to Limit Physician-Owned Specialty Hospitals Removed from Farm Bill
Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) last week said that the latest version of the farm bill does not include an amendment that would limit the existence and growth of physician-owned specialty hospitals by ending Medicare reimbursements. The ACC opposed the amendment, which was offered to offset a portion of the legislation's expenditures. The ACC supports physician ownership in facilities, equipment or services that benefit patients through the delivery of appropriate, high quality, medical care. ACC members, many of whom contacted their lawmakers to express their opposition to the amendment, were instrumental to its defeat. In addition, a coalition of 28 House and Senate Republicans sent a letter to the key congressional committees opposing the amendment.

Although the amendment was removed from the farm bill, it could be added to other legislative vehicles in need of an offset. Efforts to undermine physician-owned hospitals have been present in other bills, such as the House version of the mental health parity bill and the Children's Health and Medicare Protection Act of 2007. The ACC urges members to call their senators and representatives to urge them to oppose efforts to ban or limit physician-owned specialty hospitals. To contact your lawmakers directly, call the ACC toll-free grassroots hotline at 1-800-210-7193.

ACC Urges Members to Contact Lawmakers on Research Funding
As part of the National Coalition for Heart and Stroke Research, the ACC encourages members to contact their lawmakers and ask them to sign on to a letter to increase funding for National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Health Resources and Services Administration's heart disease and stroke research, prevention and treatment programs. The letter is signed by coalition leadership -- co-chairs Reps. Lois Capps (D-CA) and Charles Pickering (R-MS), and Sens. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Mike Crapo (R-IA) – and will be sent to leadership in the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies. Specifically, the letter will be sent to House Committee Chair David Obey (D-WI) and ranking member James Walsh (R-NY), and Senate Committee Chair Tom Harkin (D-IA) and ranking member Arlen Specter (R-PA). The ACC urges its members to contact their lawmakers and request that they sign on to the letter. To contact your lawmakers directly, call the ACC toll-free grassroots hotline at 1-800-210-7193.

CMS Announces Changes to 2008 PQRI Program
Also on April 17, CMS announced that it is taking steps to encourage participation in the 2008 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) by physicians and other eligible medical professionals. The steps include several new reporting options to make it easier for medical professionals to participate in the program and receive feedback. Under the changes, professionals will have the ability to submit data on quality measures to a medical registry, which will then report that data to CMS. The NCDR® was selected from among over 30 self-nominations to participate in the pilot program to evaluate the use of clinical registry data to meet PQRI requirements. Through the IC³ Program, the NCDR's first office-based registry, aggregated data reporting will be provided for several PQRI measures on behalf of physicians and practices that provide necessary consents.

In addition, CMS has altered the PQRI reporting period to allow professionals to begin reporting in July 2008 and still be eligible to qualify for an incentive payment in the 2008 program. For more information about the changes and the PQRI program, visit the CMS Web site here.

CMS Distributes $50M in Grants to Improve Primary Care Access
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on April 17 announced that it will distribute $50 million in grants to 20 states to improve access to primary care in rural and/or underserved areas. The grant, which was created by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, is intended to reduce unnecessary visits to emergency departments. The funds will be used by the grantees to establish new community health centers while extending the hours of operation at existing clinics; educating beneficiaries about new services; and facilitating electronic health information exchange between health centers to provide more coordinated care. The states received $37.5 million last week and will receive the remaining $12.5 million in 2009. For additional information about the grant, visit the CMS Web site here.

CMS To Host Call on 2008 PQRI
CMS' Provider Communications Group will host a conference call on the 2008 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI), the second in a series of national provider calls, on April 30 from 1:30-3:30, EDT. The call will discuss recent changes to the program and will feature a question-and-answer session with CMS subject matter experts. In addition, CMS will offer continuing education units to eligible professionals who participate in the call. To register, visit http://www2.eventsvc.com/palmettogba/event/2f7d0cda539b41dfb0fa57ad119b2ba9 by April 29 at 1:30 EDT.

FDA News Updates
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on April 15 approved the Talent™ Abdominal Stent Graft System, manufactured by Medtronic Vascular. The stent is approved to repair aneurysms of the aorta that occur in the abdomen to prevent further growth and rupture. The device should not be used in patients who have conditions that could infect the graft or allergies to device materials, according to FDA. A summary of the safety and effectiveness and labeling is available on the FDA's Web site here.

In addition, the FDA on April 21 approved HeartMate II Left Ventricular Assist System, manufactured by Thoratec Corporation, the first compact heart assist device to receive agency approval. When tested in a clinical trial of 126 patients at 26 transplant centers, 57 percent of patients who used the device survived to heart transplant, a comparable survival rate to patients who are treated with currently approved heart assist devices. HeartMate II is intended for use in some women and small-sized men who cannot be treated with currently approved devices because the devices are too large.