|
Jan.
10, 2005 |
|
|
|
|
|
IMAGING
• Restrictive
Imaging Bill Resurfaces in Massachusetts |
REIMBURSEMENT
• New
Heart Health Benefits for Medicare Beneficiaries
• ACC
Submits Coding Recommendation to CMS |
MEDICAL
LIABILITY REFORM
• Two
States Push for Medical Liability Reform |
LEGISLATIVE/REGULATORY
• Lewis
Named House Appropriations Chair
•
FDA
Warns of Painkiller Risks
•
Cancer
Drug Gets New Label
• Medicare Helps
Seniors Kick Smoking Habit
• New Commission Tackles
Health Care Reform |
| IMAGING |
Restrictive
Imaging Bill Resurfaces in Massachusetts
Cardiologists
in Massachusetts are preparing to fend off
a radiology-supported bill that limits physicians’
ability to refer patients to non-hospital
settings for imaging services. Similar to
an amendment that nearly passed the Massachusetts
legislature last year, the draft legislation
prohibits physicians from referring patients
to outpatient facilities where they or their
family hold a financial interest. Radiologists
and hospital-based physicians are exempt from
this restriction. The Massachusetts Chapter
of the ACC will be working closely with the
ACC, the Massachusetts Medical Society and
other  physician
groups to let legislators know about the harmful
effects of this bill on physician practice
and patient care. |
REIMBURSEMENT |
|
New
Heart Health Benefits to Medicare Beneficiaries
As of Jan.
1, Medicare is offering seniors several
preventive services aimed at catching heart
disease at its earliest stages. All beneficiaries
will be eligible for cardiovascular screenings
consisting of blood tests to measure total
cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglyceride
levels. New enrollees can take advantage
of a “Welcome to Medicare” screening
that includes an electrocardiogram as part
of the overall check-up. For more information,
click
here. |
ACC
Submits Coding Recommendation to CMS
The ACC recently
asked the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS) to review cardiac magnetic
resonance codes (CPT 75552-75555) on the grounds
that physician work values are undervalued
and should be reviewed during the upcoming
five-year review process. The ACC worked closely
with the American College of Radiology (ACR)
in developing this recommendation, and the
ACR submitted the same recommendation in comments
to CMS. The ACC and the ACR based their recommendation
on the following reasons: new technological
advances have dramatically changed cardiac
magnetic resonance imaging since the codes
were last reviewed 12 years ago; the accuracy
and
validity of the survey process in 1993 is
open to question; and rank order anomalies
exist with current codes. |
| MEDICAL
LIABILITY REFORM |
Two
States Push for Medical Liability Reform
Doctors in
Maryland are close to celebrating a legislative
victory in the battle for tort reform, while
physicians in Washington state launched
a new campaign to get relief from the skyrocketing
cost of medical liability insurance. On
Dec. 29, Maryland legislators passed a compromise
bill, endorsed by the Maryland Medical Society
and Maryland Hospital Association, that
lowers the cap on non-economic damages from
$1.6 million to $812,500. Gov. Robert Ehrlich,
Jr. vetoed the bill due to a controversial
provision that institutes a 2 percent tax
on HMO premiums. Legislators have pledged
to override the veto in order to prevent
a 33 percent increase in medical liability
insurance rates this year.
In
Washington, a group of physicians and hospitals
submitted Initiative
330 to the state legislature on Dec.
28. The initiative would cap non-economic
damages and limit the amount of fees collected
by lawyers in medical liability cases. Legislators
can pass the measure this session or defer
the decision to voters by placing the initiative
on the November 2005 ballot. |
| LEGISLATIVE/REGULATORY |
Lewis
Named House Appropriations Chair
Rep. Jerry
Lewis, R-Calif., beat out two legislative
colleagues to win the powerful chairmanship
of the House Appropriations Committee. Selected
by the 28-member Republican Steering Committee,
Lewis will replace Rep. C.W. Bill Young, R-Fla,
who held the post for the maximum term allotment
of 6 years. As chairman, Lewis will oversee
the appropriations
of revenue for the federal government, including
the Department of Health and Human Services. |
FDA
Warns of Painkiller Risks
In light of
the recent revelations that commonly prescribed
painkillers such as Vioxx, Bextra and Celebrex
raise the risk of heart attack and stroke,
the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued
a public health alert about the serious side
effects of this class of drugs known as Cox-2
inhibitors. Click
here to view the FDA’s recommendations
for utilization of these drugs. |
Cancer
Drug Gets New Label
The FDA approved
new labeling language for the cancer drug
Avastin to reflect risks associated with usage
during chemotherapy. In August 2004, the FDA
notified health care professionals of higher
incidence of heart attack and stroke among
patients who were taking Avastin in combination
with chemotherapy. For more information on
this FDA warning, click
here. |
Medicare
Helps Seniors Kick Smoking Habit
CMS recently
announced
a new proposal to help seniors quit smoking.
Citing the benefits of smoking cessation at
any age, CMS will cover eligible seniors who
enroll in counseling services designed to
help them stop smoking. The proposal involves
Medicare beneficiaries who have an illness
caused or complicated by smoking, including
heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, lung
disease, weak bones, blood clots
and cataracts — the diseases that account
for the bulk of Medicare spending today. |
New
Commission Tackles Health Care Reform
As part of
the Medicare prescription drug law, the Government
Accountability Office is tasked with appointing
a 14-member commission to evaluate the current
U.S. health care system and make recommendations
to the President and members of Congress on
strategies for reform with a specific focus
on expanding the availability of affordable
health care coverage. Applications are available
until Jan. 14,
2005. To find out more, click
here. |
