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Aug.
1, 2005 |
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IMAGING
• Anti-Imaging
Resolution Soundly Defeated in Idaho
|
MEDICAL
LIABILITY REFORM
• House
Passes Medical Liability Reform
|
QUALITY
IMPROVEMENT
• Patient
Safety Bill Signed into Law |
|
LEGISLATIVE/REGULATORY
• Bill Introduced
to Revamp Physician Pay Formula
• House Adopts
Measure on High-Risk Insurance Pools
• Senate Committee
Takes Up Health IT
• Guidant Issues
Voluntary Pacemaker Recall
•
Policy Conference on
Pacemakers, ICDs |
| IMAGING |
Anti-Imaging
Resolution Soundly Defeated in Idaho
The
Idaho Medical Association (IMA) House
of Delegates (HOD) soundly defeated
a resolution in late July that would
have committed the IMA to support state
legislation limiting imaging procedures.
Resolution 8, offered by the Idaho chapter
of the American College of Radiology,
was diametrically opposite to AMA Resolution
228, which was overwhelmingly approved
by the AMA
HOD in June. Prior to the Idaho
HOD meeting, an e-mail survey by the
IMA resulted in a 2-1 vote against the
principles of radiology's resolution.
Testimony in the reference committee
strongly opposed Resolution 8, and its
defeat followed logically. The ACC appreciates
the efforts of all Idaho physicians
who worked and voted against this resolution.
Special thanks go to Joseph  Abate,
M.D., F.A.C.C., who was the first witness
to speak against Resolution 8 in the
reference committee. |
| MEDICAL
LIABILITY REFORM |
|
House
Vote Pending on Medical Liability
Reform
On
July 28, the House of Representatives
passed by a vote of 230 to 194 medical
liability reform legislation (H.R.
5) that includes a $250,000 cap on
non-economic damages. The legislation
is identical to a measure passed by
the House last year. Fourteen Democrats
voted for the bill, and nine Republicans
voted against. The
Alliance of Specialty Medicine
stressed in a statement that this
issue is “not about doctors,
lawyers, and insurance companies.
It is about patients and their ability
to continue to receive timely and
consistent access to quality medical
care.”
The bill now moves to the Senate,
where its fate is uncertain despite
national polling data that shows solid
public support for medical liability
reform. |
| QUALITY
IMPROVEMENT |
Patient
Safety Bill Signed into Law
President
Bush signed into law July 29 long-awaited
patient safety legislation. The law
encourages voluntary reporting of medical
errors to patient safety organizations
and shields the data from use in medical
malpractice cases. The law also establishes
a national patient safety database to
track and identify trends in medical
mistakes. The bill was approved by voice
vote in the Senate and then near-unanimously
(428-3) by the House. The Alliance of
Specialty Medicine said in a statement
that “widespread sharing of best
practices and information on adverse
effects
by medical professionals will go a long
way toward ensuring the delivery of
consistent, quality medical care to
all patients.” |
| LEGISLATIVE/REGULATORY |
Bill
Introduced to Revamp Physician Pay Formula
Rep.
Nancy Johnson, R-Conn., chair of the
House Ways and Means Subcommittee on
Health, introduced legislation July
28 that would prevent a cut in physician
payments in 2006 and require that payments
to physicians in 2007 and 2008 be based
on reporting of measures rather than
the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula
currently used to determine Medicare
physician reimbursement rates. Starting
in 2009, physicians would be paid based
on their performance on quality standards.
In a statement issued by the Alliance
of Specialty Medicine, ACC President
Pamela Douglas, M.D., F.A.C.C., said
the bill “clearly recognizes that
the SGR formula and value-based purchasing
cannot co-exist and are in direct conflict
with [one] another.” She noted
that Rep. Johnson had sought significant
input from the medical community,
adding that “she needs to be commended
for addressing the tough issues in Medicare
in a fair and balanced manner.” |
House
Adopts Measure on High-Risk Insurance
Pools
The
House adopted by voice vote July 27
a measure (H.R. 3204) to authorize $50
million in federal funding for operation
of state high-risk health insurance
pools in fiscal years 2005 through 2009.
These pools offer insurance to people
with preexisting, chronic illnesses
or conditions
who otherwise could not purchase health
coverage. A Senate committee approved
similar legislation in February. |
Senate
Committee Takes Up Health IT
The
Senate Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions Committee has approved a bill
designed to promote quality health care
through the implementation of health
information technology (HIT) systems.
The measure would authorize $275 million
in grants in 2006 and 2007 to help physicians
and other providers put in place HIT.
The measure approved by
the committee combines two bills: one
authored by Sens. Bill Frist, R-Tenn.,
and Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.;
the other by Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., and
Ted Kennedy, D-Mass. |
Guidant
Issues Voluntary Pacemaker Recall
The
Food and Drug Administration notified
physicians and patients of a voluntary
recall of certain pacemakers manufactured
by Guidant Corporation. Guidant initiated
the recall on July 18 because of a defect
that can cause the devices to malfunction
without warning, potentially
resulting in loss of consciousness —
and possibly even heart failure and
death. Click
here for more information. |
Policy
Conference on Pacemakers, ICDs
The
Heart Rhythm Society, in cooperation
with the Food and Drug Administration,
is convening a conference
Sept. 16 on pacemaker and ICD performance.
The conference aims to bring together
cardiac care professionals, government
agencies, medical device manufacturers,
patient
advocacy groups and the general public
to examine the current process for medical
device recalls and to discuss strategies
for improving the system. |
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Comments? Send your feedback to epubs@acc.org
and include the name of the publication
in the subject line. |
