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Jan.
24, 2005 |
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REIMBURSEMENT
• Medicare Expands
Coverage of ICDs |
MEDICAL
LIABILITY REFORM
• Share Your Story,
Help Shape the Liability Reform Debate
• Illinois Launches
Liability Wristband Campaign |
LEGISLATIVE/REGULATORY
• ACC
PAC Sets 2005 Fundraising Goal
• CMS Starts Shift to
Prescription Drug Benefit
• FDA Rejects Sale of
OTC Statins
• Meeting Notice:
Cox-2 Inhibitors
• HHS Nominee Leavitt
Calls for Bold Reform |
REIMBURSEMENT |
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Medicare
Expands Coverage of ICDs
More
than 500,000 Medicare beneficiaries will
be eligible for implantable cardioverter-defibrillators
(ICDs) as a result of an expanded coverage
decision announced Jan. 19. The announcement
coincided with a study published in the
New England Journal of Medicine
demonstrating that ICDs are beneficial for
congestive heart failure patients who are
at risk of developing a life-threatening
arrhythmia. The coverage decision requires
development of an ICD patient registry to
evaluate the benefits of the device for
certain patient groups. To  view
a letter co-authored by the ACC and the
Heart Rhythm Society on the extension of
ICD coverage, click
here. |
| MEDICAL
LIABILITY REFORM |
Share
Your Story, Help Shape the Liability Reform
Debate
As the debate over
medical liability reform heats up again
this year, the ACC is looking for stories
that show the tangible effects of skyrocketing
insurance rates on cardiologists. Sharing
your experience helps the ACC present a
more powerful argument to members of Congress
who determine the fate of meaningful reform.
Submit your stories to Camille Bonta at
cbonta@acc.org.
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Illinois
Launches Liability Wristband Campaign
Illinois physicians are
taking a cue from other advocacy groups to
raise public awareness of medical liability
reform by distributing “Keep Doctors
in Illinois” arm bracelets. Today, ACC
member Jay Alexander, M.D., F.A.C.C., will
join Rep. Mark Kirk in kicking-off the statewide
wristband campaign. As part of the event,
Kirk will announce the re-introduction of
the Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-Cost,
Timely Healthcare
(HEALTH)
Act, which aims to lower medical liability
premiums and ensure patients’ timely
access to care. |
| LEGISLATIVE/REGULATORY |
ACC
PAC Sets 2005 Fundraising Goal
Imaging, medical liability
reform and Medicare physician payments are
issues that loom large on the legislative
horizon. The ACC PAC is critical to demonstrating
the political might of cardiologists on Capitol
Hill. With a $300,000 fundraising goal in
2005, the ACC PAC wants to send a clear signal
to legislators that cardiologists are a key
constituency and a
primary player in health care policy. Every
contribution helps the ACC move its legislative
agenda – find out more at www.epacweb.com/acc. |
CMS
Starts Shift to Prescription Drug Benefit
Seniors enrolled in Medicare
will soon be turning in their Medicare-approved
prescription drug discount cards in favor
of a broad-based drug coverage benefit. On
Friday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services (CMS) issued its final regulations
establishing the Medicare prescription drug
benefit and creating incentives for employers
to maintain drug coverage for retirees. The
new coverage will be available to all Medicare
beneficiaries, regardless of their income,
current Medicare plan or current prescription
drug plan. More information can be found at
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2005pres/20050121.html.
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FDA
Panel Rejects OTC Statins
In a 20-3 vote, a joint
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory
committee rejected Merck & Co.’s
request to sell its statin drug Mevacor without
a prescription. Reviewers of the proposal
expressed concerns about patient safety, stating
that not enough was done to ensure that only
the right patients took the drug and that
these patients
were closely monitored. The FDA will make
the final decision on
over-the-counter statins, strongly taking
into account the committee’s recommendation. |
Meeting
Notice: Cox-2 Inhibitors
The FDA will hold a meeting
to review the risks and benefits of Cox-2
selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs. The February meeting is
open to the public and more information can
be found at http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/2005/NEW01151.html. |
HHS
Nominee Leavitt Calls for Bold Reform
The Senate gathered last
week to hold confirmation hearings for several
presidential cabinet nominees, including Mike
Leavitt who is President Bush’s choice
to head the Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS). Appearing before the Senate
Finance Committee, Leavitt called on the government
to be “bold” in addressing inefficiencies
in the health care system. He called particular
attention to the Medicaid program, saying
that governors should have more flexibility
in helping uninsured patients in their states.
The committee will
vote next week on Leavitt’s confirmation,
and a full Senate vote is expected shortly
thereafter.
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