House
Democrats Release Reform Bill The
House Democrats on Tuesday released a health care reform bill
called "America’s Affordable Health Choices Act
of 2009." It includes positive first steps toward physician
payment reform by revising the flawed sustainable growth rate
formula. It would eliminate the debt accumulated since 2000
to permanently change the SGR by allowing services to grow.
To improve quality, it would continue funding for the Physician
Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) through 2012, and provide
an appeals process and faster feedback on reports.
The bill
also would require all Americans to purchase health insurance
or be fined, although those with incomes of less than $88,000
annually would be eligible to receive a subsidy. In addition,
the bill eliminates copayments and deductibles for preventative
care; make it illegal to deny coverage for pre-existing conditions;
creates a public health insurance plan; and promotes testing
accountable care organizations. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
(D-Calif.) said that the House plans to vote on the bill before
lawmakers break for August recess. For more information, and
to comment, visit: lewinreport.acc.org.
REGULATORY
CMS
Releases Proposed 2010 Physician Payment Rule The
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently
released its 2010 proposed Medicare physician payment rule,
which would slash payments for cardiovascular-related services.
CMS projects that the proposed changes would reduce total
Medicare payments to cardiology by 11 percent. In addition,
CMS proposes a 21.5 percent reduction in the Medicare conversion
factor due to the flawed SGR formula. In short, practices
could face cuts ranging from 20 – 40 percent. For more
on the rule, click
here.
The ACC
is launching a comprehensive campaign to fight these cuts.
You can get involved in several ways. First and foremost,
all ACC members should contact their lawmakers through the
ACC’s toll-free grassroots hotline (800-210-7193) and
online action center (www.acc.org/can)
and ask them to stop the cuts. Members can also take part
in a video campaign that can be shared with members of Congress,
regulatory officials and the public. Upload a 30 – 40
second video about the impacts of large-scale cuts on your
ability to provide patients with the right care at the right
time. You can post your video on YouTube
or e-mail Molly Nichelson at mnichels@acc.org to have it posted
for you. Don’t own a video camera? Submit your story
via the ACC’s online forum, The
Lewin Report. For questions, contact advocacydiv@acc.org.
CMS
Releases 30-Day Readmission Data for AMI, HF
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) last
week updated its Hospital
Compare Web site with Medicare's 30-day hospital readmission
rates for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure
(HF) and pneumonia. In addition to readmission rates, the
Hospital Compare Web site also provides information on 30-day
mortality measures for AMI, HF and pneumonia. The ACC supports
public reporting of these measures because they are intended
to drive quality improvement efforts to enhance care in these
important and high volume clinical areas.
In an
ongoing effort to raise awareness of the measures, the ACC
is not only encouraging its members to review and act on the
data, but is also gearing up to help hospitals respond to
the measures through its new "Hospital
to Home" (H2H) initiative, which will provide evidence-based
strategies for reducing cardiovascular readmissions by 20
percent by 2012. Learn more or enroll at: http://www.acc.org/h2h/enrollment.
For media coverage, visit The
Lewin Report.
FDA
Approves Prasugrel The
Food and Drug Administration has approved the blood-thinning
drug prasugrel, marketed by Eli Lilly and Daiichi Sankyo Ltd.
As Effient, to reduce the risk of blood clots from forming
in patients who undergo angioplasty. The drug’s labeling
will include a boxed warning alerting physicians that the
drug can cause significant, sometimes fatal, bleeding. The
drug should not be used in patients with active pathological
bleeding, a history of transient ischemic attacks or stroke,
or urgent need for surgery, including coronary artery bypass
graft surgery. For more information, view a segment
on CVN.
QUALITY
Register
for ACC’s 2009 Legislative Conference The
ACC will hold its 2009 Legislative Conference Sept. 13 –
15 at the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, D.C. Given the drastic
payment cuts proposed by CMS, as well as efforts to pass overarching
health reform legislation, don’t miss this opportunity
to help educate Congress about the important work the ACC
is doing in the areas of quality improvement and medical imaging.
Even more importantly, you can help advocate for fair reimbursement
and sound, unobtrusive policies that will ensure that cardiovascular
professionals can continue to practice medicine in a manner
that provides the greatest benefit for their patients. Click
here to register now!
