June 27, 2005

ACC Calls for Collaboration on Imaging Issue
The ACC joined eleven other medical organizations in sponsoring a resolution at last week’s American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates calling for increased collaboration among medical specialties to address the rising volume in imaging services. The resolution, which passed with overwhelming support, asks the AMA to actively oppose efforts by policymakers “to impose policies designed to control utilization and costs of medical services unless those policies can be proven to achieve cost savings and improve quality.” The resolution also instructs the AMA to oppose efforts to limit reimbursement for imaging services based on medical specialty.

Legislators Ask CMS to Fix Medicare Payment System
In a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Reps. Bill Thomas, R-Calif., and Nancy Johnson, R-Conn., urged CMS Administrator Mark McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., to move away from the current “irrational system” used to reimburse physicians. Emphasizing the need to move toward a system that rewards physicians who meet specific quality standards, Thomas and Johnson asked about the agency’s plans to develop quality indicators for physicians, reporting systems for quality data and incentives to encourage data reporting. Thomas is Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee and Johnson serves as Chair of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health.

Florida Signs Liability Amendments into Law
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, R, signed two bills last week that stemmed from constitutional amendments passed in November. The first bill is based on an amendment revoking licenses of physicians with three or more medical malpractice judgments. The bill specifies that only incidents occurring after Nov. 2, 2004 and with “clear and convincing” evidence are impacted by the new law. The second bill impacts the release of medical malpractice records. The recently signed law limits the release of records to patients of the facility where an error occurred and only if the patient has a similar condition or diagnoses.

FDA Approves Racially Targeted Heart Failure Drug
Last week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a drug proven to effectively treat heart failure in black patients. The agency said the decision marks “a step toward the promise of personalized medicine.” Approval of the drug, known as BiDil, was based in part on the African-American Heart Failure Trial (A-HeFT), which showed no benefit for the general population of heart failure patients but a significant benefit for black patients. Click here to read more about the FDA decision.