House Committee Approves Health IT Bill
The House Energy and Commerce Committee last Wednesday approved by voice vote nationwide health information technology (HIT) legislation (H.R. 6357). The bill would encourage the adoption of a nationwide electronic health record (EHR) system by hospitals and health care providers by providing grants and loans. The bill also includes patient privacy protection provisions, and would require that the federal government develop uniform standards for EHRs and use the technology in its health programs as it replaces old equipment. Meanwhile, the House Ways and Means Committee last Thursday held a hearing on the HIT bill that discussed potential revisions to certain provisions, including the privacy protections. Ways and Means Chairman Pete Stark (D-CA) is expected this week to introduce HIT legislation, which would, among other provisions, provide incentives to physicians who adopt EHR technology and impose penalties on physicians who do not. For more information about ACC's HIT efforts, visit: http://www.acc.org/HealthIT.

House Expected to Vote on Tobacco Bill Today
The House on Wednesday is expected to vote on bipartisan legislation, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (H.R. 1108), which would grant the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate the manufacture, marketing and sale of tobacco products. Among other things, the legislation would allow the FDA to: restrict tobacco marketing and sales to children; require changes in tobacco products to make them less toxic and less addictive; and stop misleading marketing tactics by tobacco manufacturers. This legislation is co-sponsored by a majority of both the House (233 members) and the Senate (56 members). It also has been endorsed by more than 640 public health and other organizations across the country. The ACC supports FDA regulation of the tobacco industry given it is the only agency with the combination of scientific expertise and regulatory authority to carry out this mission.

Grassley Introduces Imaging Ownership Transparency Bill
On Saturday, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) introduced the Medicare Imaging Disclosure Sunshine Act (S. 3343), which would alter the physician self-referral law to mandate that physicians disclose their ownership interests for certain imaging services in order to bill Medicare for imaging. The bill would amend the in-office ancillary services exception to the physician self-referral law, also known as the Stark law. Under the bill, physicians would need to provide patients with information about their ownership interests for high-tech imaging services, such as MRI and CT, and would mandate that physicians provide patients with an alternate list of imaging providers. The bill has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee. ACC staff are reviewing the bill to determine next steps.

Medicare Law Affects CV Professionals
The new Medicare law includes several provisions that affect cardiovascular professionals, including the 18-month halt to Medicare physician payment cuts. To learn more about these provisions and how they might impact your patients and practice, click here to view ACC's summary of the law.

Register Now: ACC’s 2008 Legislative Conference
Registration is now open for the ACC’s 2008 Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. This year’s conference will take place Sept. 14 – 16 at the Fairmont Hotel. Don't miss this unique opportunity to help advocate for fair and sound policies that ensure cardiovascular specialists can practice medicine in a manner that provides the greatest value for patients. Participants will learn about key issues facing the cardiovascular community and be able to educate their respective lawmakers about the need for the cardiovascular community to be at the table when it comes to improving patient access, reforming Medicare and ensuring any new health care system moves beyond process to focus on outcomes. For more information, click here. Registration closes August 8.

Schwarzenegger Signs Trans Fat Ban
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Friday signed into state law a bill (A.B. 97) banning trans fat in restaurants, hospitals and all other public food facilities by Jan. 1, 2010, and in bakeries by Jan. 1, 2011. Establishments that fail to comply with this ban could be fined up to $1,000. In addition, the bill allows for the creation of local ordinances related to trans fat. Under this law, items containing less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving are considered trans fat free. The bill does not include trans fats in packaged goods sold in stores, according to Assemblyman Tony Mendoza (D). The California Chapter of the ACC has supported this bill throughout the two-year legislative process. California is the first to enact a statewide trans fat ban, although New York City and Philadelphia have similar bans in effect.

ACC Attends Successful State Legislatures Conference
The ACC last week attended the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Legislative Summit in New Orleans. The Summit provided an opportunity for ACC staff to meet state legislators and their staff and learn about key health care issues in the state, while also promoting the College’s advocacy and quality initiatives. In addition, ACC staff were able to connect with other organizations and discuss new ways to collaborate on issues like health care reform, imaging and medical liability reform. During the conference, the College shared a booth with several other specialty groups and promoted the ACC’s Quality First campaign, advocacy efforts, NCDR®, and other ACC priorities.  To learn more about the Quality First campaign, visit http://qualityfirst.acc.org. For more information on NCSL and/or state advocacy efforts in general, contact Justin Beland at jbeland@acc.org.