House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health Chair Pete Stark (D-Calif.) recently introduced the “Health-e Information Technology Act of 2008” (H.B. 6898), which would increase incentives for the adoption and use of health information technology (HIT) and disincentives for health care providers who fail to use HIT. The incentives would occur in the form of Medicare bonus payments, the size of which could range from $40,000 over five years to several million for practices and hospitals that use certified electronic medical records (EMR). However, practices and hospitals that have not adopted an EMR would be subject to reduced Medicare payments if they do not utilize a certified system by 2016. The bill also would increase privacy protections by strengthening and extending the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, while requiring that the Department of Health and Human Services create a low-cost, open-source, standards-compliant HIT system available no later than mid-2012. The ACC supports the bill and has sent a letter to Rep. Stark expressing this support. View the letter here.

Sharp divide between two candidates’ ideas for how to fix health system. McCain embraces market-based model. Obama wants employer mandate, new insurance programs, and market regulation. Neither offers ideas for fixing Medicare SGR flaw. Want to hear more about what our next president has in store for medicine? Attend ISMS political education forum in Chicago (10/16). Surrogates from both campaigns will provide health care scoop. New online tool launches to help physicians identify pro-medicine candidates for IL General Assembly. IMPAC web site now has interactive candidate map. Click on your region to view IMPAC-supported candidates. Links to candidates’ web sites are provided. You can also join or renew your IMPAC membership with a few simple clicks.

Read the entire article here.

AMA Prez, Nancy Nielsen, MD, PhD testifies to House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee on urgent need to work with physicians. About 15 months remain before next round of reimbursement cuts. Doctors want Congress to focus on issue now and not wait until last minute again. As election approaches expect federal lawmakers to be visible in your home district. If you see your senators or rep on baby-kissing/rubber chicken circuit, remind them there will be crucial votes in ‘09 and we expect them to stand with us.

Please join us and our distinguished faculty for the Inaugural Illinois Chapter ACC Cardiac Care Associate Symposium, taking place Oct. 25, 2008, at the Lindner Conference Center in Lombard, Illinois.

Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in the United States. It is reported that more than 81 million Americans have one or more forms of cardiovascular disease and more than 870,000 Americans die of cardiovascular disease each year. As more research is completed, our knowledge of the cardiovascular system and its interactions with various other organ systems continues to evolve. As the overall care of the patient with cardiovascular disease becomes increasingly complex, it is imperative that the cardiovascular professional remain current in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease.

The symposium faculty will provide up-to-date presentations that will translate cutting-edge science into practical knowledge that can be incorporated into everyday practice to help manage our patients with known or suspected cardiovascular disease. Topics include: heart failure and sleep apnea, chronic venous insufficiency, metabolic syndrome, use of cardiac biomarkers, use of coronary CT angiography as a diagnostic tool and atrial fibrillation ablation therapy.

Download Registration Brochure HERE

The Illinois Chapter of the American College of Cardiology is pleased to support a 2008 coding program exclusively designed for the practicing cardiologist and members of the cardiology team on November 13. Mr. Ray Cathey, a professional coder with McVey Associates, Inc., will conduct this important, money-saving program to ensure correct coding and reimbursement for your practice. The 2008 and known 2009 CPT coding changes and updated data will be presented, as well as advice on the most frequently confused rules and regulations to enhance your office performance. Medical specialties have been plagued by Medicare physician payment initiatives, Evaluation and Management documentation guidelines, and the National Correct Coding Initiative. Additionally the new tracking codes for cardiac CT angiography have added to the existing confusion. This intensive program will clarify and explain these and other complicated coding issues surrounding payment and reimbursement. The Illinois Chapter of the American College of Cardiology continues its mission to support cardiology practice management needs. We believe that you and your office staff will find this program most worthwhile. We encourage you to register today.  Space is limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Click here for full details and registration information.

The American College of Cardiology, the American Medical Association, and more than 70 other organizations are conducting a comprehensive multi-specialty survey of America's physician practices. A new sample has been drawn to which you may have been added.

How the survey data will be used
Results from the survey will be used to positively influence national decision makers. The section of the study pertaining to your practice expenses is particularly important, and we request that you complete it accurately. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has indicated it will use the results of this study to help determine physician payment. The survey firm, dmrkynetec, has been retained to contact randomly selected physicians and practice managers to collect responses. All responses will remain confidential.

Cardiology has only 25 completed surveys
At this time, cardiology has only received 18% of the surveys required to create a representative sample.  Many medical specialties have far higher response rates.  Please alert your staff regarding your willingness to participate in this survey and the importance of accepting incoming calls, faxes, or emails from dmrkynetec.

A postcard was mailed to the entire physician sample on September 25.  If you received this postcard, it is an indication that you have been selected to participate in the survey. A new sample was recently drawn, so you may have been selected.   If you have been selected to participate in this important effort and have any questions about this survey, please call toll-free at (877) 816-8940 and ask to speak with one of dmrkynetec's executive interviewers about the 2008 Physician Practice Information Survey.

Please take the time to find out if you have been selected to participate in the survey by visiting the Physician Practice Information Survey Website and entering your name and zip code.

If you have been selected, the Web site will provide instructions to help you begin preparations for participating in the survey. The ACC and your fellow physicians greatly appreciate your cooperation.

This rule will take effect on Jan. 1, 2009, and will provide incentive payments of two percent of the Medicare-allowed charges to physicians who adopt e-prescribing by 2009-2010. The size of the incentive will then decrease until 2013. Beginning in 2012, physicians who have not adopted e-prescribing will be penalized at 1 percent of Medicare-allowed charges. The size of the penalty will increase in 2013 and 2014. The ACC offers tools and resources to members to assist in the adoption and use of health information technology, including a “how-to” guide to help clinicians make informed decisions about how and when to transition from paper to e-prescribing systems. Visit ACC’s Web site at www.acc.org/HealthIT for more information.

Please find information and a registration form regarding an upcoming webinar sponsored by Philips and endorsed by national ACC on MIPPA's new imaging policies (accreditation and appropriateness) and how they will affect providers of advanced diagnostic imaging services (CT, MR, Nuclear Medicine and PET). 

The webinar is scheduled for:

Tuesday, October 14
1:30 - 2:45 p.m. ET 

Registration is available at: www.philips.com/reimbursement or by calling 1-202-263-2967.

The ACC and the American Heart Association Interdisciplinary Council on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research has published a new Health Policy Statement on Standards for Measures Used for Public Reporting of Efficiency in Health Care. As government and regulatory bodies increasingly move toward public reporting of various physician measures, this policy statement identifies preferred attributes for measures used to assess efficiency in the allocation of health care resources.

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) last week held its monthly meeting, which discussed medical education for the 21st century and physician relationships with industry. The first part of the meeting explored how undergraduate and residency programs could evolve toward outcomes-based training, utilizing HIT and core infrastructure to provide chronic care management in ambulatory settings. This would be a significant change from current hospital-focused acute care. Commissioners suggested that the Medicare program could serve as a lever to drive innovative education, linking GME payments to specific, statistically relevant measures at the institutional and physician levels. Additionally, commissioners discussed potential methods to drive workforce changes, suggesting loan repayment, subsidies or payment reform, among others ideas.

The second part of the meeting focused on four draft recommendations on physician financial relationships, which garnered protracted discussion and no clear consensus on any of the recommendations. Commissioners and staff debated whether the recommendations should be expanded to apply to additional groups, facilities, or provided services, and whether certain information, particularly provider identifiers, should remain nonpublic or available only to researchers through data use agreements. There was agreement that certain relationships did provide public value, and that any reporting system should recognize these as appropriate arrangements. Staff will redraft the financial disclosure recommendations and present them again at the November meeting. A transcript of the meeting is available on MedPAC’s Web site here.

October 21 is the deadline for submitting comments to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on its proposed rule that would mandate the use of the International Classification of Diseases Version 10 (ICD-10) on all health care transactions starting on Oct. 1, 2011. This would replace the 13,000 existing ICD-9 diagnosis codes with more than 68,000 ICD-10 diagnosis codes. ICD-10 codes are a different format, and thus would require all codes to be reformatted. The proposed rule does not include a transition period during which both sets of codes may be used.

Although use of the ICD-10 classification system could result in more precise descriptions of diseases that would improve public health reporting and pay-for-performance reporting, it might also result in significant costs and administrative problems for hospitals and offices. The ACC is drafting a comment letter that will outline the College’s serious concerns about the implementation timeline and urge HHS to adopt a slower transition. The proposed rule can be found in the Federal Register here. The ACC encourages chapters and members to comment on the rule. To submit comments, visit www.regulations.gov and enter “E8-19298” in the search box, or send written comments to:

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services
Attention: CMS -0013-P
P.O. Box 8016
Baltimore, MD 21244-8016

Registration is now open for an Oct. 14 Webinar that will discuss new imaging policies present in the “Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008” (MIPPA) and how the policies will affect providers of advanced diagnostic imaging services, such as CT, MR, nuclear medicine and PET. MIPPA calls for providers of advanced diagnostic imaging services to be accredited by 2012 in order to receive payment for the technical component of those services. The law also establishes a two-year voluntary demonstration program to test the use of physician-developed appropriateness criteria. The Webinar will be held Tuesday, October 14 from 1:30 – 2:45 p.m. The ACC’s Joe Allen is among the presenters. To register, click here or call (202) 263-2967.

Best regards,

Diane Wallis, M.D., FACC
Governor, Illinois Chapter of the ACC