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Amy Murphy, American College of
Cardiology, 202-375-6476, amurphy@acc.org
July
9, 2008
The American College of Cardiology Applauds Senate Action
to Halt Pay Cuts to Physicians, Calls on President Bush to
Act on Behalf of Medicare Patients and Focus on Real Health
System Reform
Washington, DC—The American College of Cardiology (ACC)
is grateful and relieved for the Senate’s action today
passing legislation that reverses the 10.6 percent Medicare
physician payment that took effect July 1.
As passed, the bill will stop the 10.6 percent cut in Medicare
reimbursements for 18 months, extend the 0.5 percent payment
update for 2008 and provide a 1.1% update for 2009. In addition,
the bill improves and extends payments to rural providers
and continues the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative through
2011. It also includes an accreditation requirement for advanced
imaging modalities and would fund a two-year voluntary appropriateness
criteria demonstration project supported by the ACC in an
effort to refocus the imaging debate toward more quality-focused
policy solutions.
“Because of today’s action, physicians will be
able to continue providing our Medicare patients with access
to the quality cardiovascular care they deserve. President
Bush must act on behalf of physicians and our patients and
sign this bill,” said Jack Lewin, M.D., CEO of the American
College of Cardiology.
“However, we must fix the real problem – the
flawed payment formula fails to keep pace with doctors’
cost of delivering care, while at the same time, physician
practice expenses continue to escalate. This is frankly a
house of cards. Medicare patients deserve access to the highest
quality care – we need to get beyond putting band-aids
on a broken payment formula year after year to focus on improving
quality and effectiveness of care,” Dr. Lewin added.
With heart disease the number one killer in the United States,
and with more than 40 percent of Medicare spending going towards
cardiovascular-related medicine, cardiology is in a good position
to refocus the debate and help set a new standard for health
system reform.
The ACC has invested millions of dollars to improve the quality
of health care and is looking at new ways to provide cost-effective,
patient-centered care. While the College has made progress,
including significantly improving survival from heart attacks
and other cardiac conditions, cardiology can do more to reduce
costs and save lives. From 1999 to 2006 the U.S. heart attack
survival rate improved by 29 percent. While this was and is
great news, the costs were also impressive.
# # #
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. More information about the association is available
online at www.acc.org.
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