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ACC Press Contact:
Amy Murphy
202-375-6476
amurphy@acc.org
UnitedHealthCare Press Contact:
Lynne High
952-992-5708
Lynne_m_high@uhc.com
October 25, 2007
American College Of Cardiology And Unitedhealthcare
Partner To Launch Pilot Program To Advance Appropriate Use
Of Cardiac Imaging
Pilot program in 10 practice sites will
employ professional society guidance to assist physicians
in more effectively using an increasingly important cardiac
imaging test
WASHINGTON (October 25, 2007) – The American
College of Cardiology (ACC) today announced a pilot program,
sponsored in part by UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group
(NYSE: UNH) company, that will assist physicians in the appropriate
use of a commonly performed test -- Single-Photon Emission
Computed Tomography Myocardial Perfusion Imaging (SPECT MPI)
-- used to evaluate patients with known or suspected coronary
artery disease. The ACC, along with the American Society of
Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC), published Appropriateness Criteria
for SPECT imaging two years ago; ACC is now focused on assisting
physicians in the implementation of the Criteria aimed at
improving test utilization. This program represents the first
time ACC has partnered with a health plan to implement Appropriateness
Criteria, which provide expert physician opinion on the use
of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures with regard to cardiovascular
disease.
To be launched at 10 practice sites, the pilot program is
designed to help physicians evaluate their performance of
test ordering by providing feedback on their use of SPECT
MPI nuclear cardiac imaging based upon empirical Appropriateness
Criteria established by the ACC and ASNC. Through convenient
access to these Appropriateness Criteria and the objective
assessment of their performance by the ACC, this program will
support physicians in their efforts to continuously improve
the quality and cost effectiveness of their clinical care.
Jack Lewin, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of the American
College of Cardiology, said, “As the professional home
of our nation’s cardiologists, the ACC is in a unique
position to provide our members with reliable information
and assessment of their clinical performance. We are confident
that cardiologists will use the insights from this initiative
to help maximize their skills and effectiveness. We are appreciative
that UnitedHealthcare has stepped forward to provide resources
and support for this important pilot.”
Reed Tuckson, M.D., Executive Vice President and Chief of
Medical Affairs, UnitedHealth Group said, “At UnitedHealth
Group, we believe that professional medical societies should
define the guidance for clinical interventions and determine
the appropriateness of their use. As such, we applaud the
American College of Cardiology for providing leadership to
support our nation’s cardiologists in the process of
continuing professional development on behalf of their patients.
Patients, employers and physicians will all benefit as a result
of ACC’s leadership.”
Appropriateness Criteria refer to the ongoing effort by the
ACC to create, review and categorize clinical situations in
which diagnostic tests and procedures are put into practice
by physicians caring for patients with cardiovascular diseases.
The ACC bases its recommendations on the latest medical literature
and the most current understanding of the imaging modalities’
technical capabilities.
SPECT MPI is a nuclear medicine imaging technique using a
small amount of radiation to image the patterns of blood supply
to the heart and is one of several types of cardiac stress
tests. This method is used to diagnose and evalutate ischemic
heart disease, which is characterized by reduced blood supply
to the heart and is the most common cause of death in most
western countries.
Pilot Program Details
The pilot program will:
- Develop a process and a web-based tool for collecting
data to evaluate the appropriateness of SPECT MPI testing;
- Examine patterns of SPECT utilization in practices that
participate in UnitedHealthcare’s network, representing
diversity in practice size and geographic location;
- Develop and provide confidential feedback to physicians
regarding their appropriateness patterns;
- Assess changes in practice patterns over time;
- Establish SPECT MPI appropriateness thresholds to identify
acceptable and outlier practice patterns.
Robert C. Hendel, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.S.N.C., chair of the
Appropriateness Criteria Evaluation Pilot Project and a member
of the Appropriateness Criteria Working Group said, "We
hope that this will provide the practicing cardiologist with
the kind of assistance needed to assess test utilization.
The collaboration between the ACC and UnitedHealthcare is
a partnership that will ultimately serve the best interests
of our patients. We are pleased with efforts like this, as
these are certain to facilitate the clinical implementation
of the Appropriateness Criteria."
About The American College of Cardiology
The American College of Cardiology is leading the way to optimal
cardiovascular care and disease prevention. The College is
a 34,000-member nonprofit medical society and bestows the
credential Fellow of the American College of Cardiology upon
physicians who meet its stringent qualifications. The College
is a leader in the formulation of health policy, standards
and guidelines, and is a staunch supporter of cardiovascular
research. The ACC provides professional education and operates
national registries for the measurement and improvement of
quality care. For more information, visit www.acc.org.
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare (www.unitedhealthcare.com)
provides a full spectrum of consumer-oriented health benefit
plans and services. The company organizes access to quality,
affordable health care services on behalf of more than 28
million individual consumers, contracting directly with more
than 500,000 physicians and care professionals and 4,700 hospitals
nationwide to offer consumers broad, convenient access to
services nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses
of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50
health and well-being company.
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