The purpose of the Chapter is to contribute to the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and to ensure optimal quality of care for individuals with such diseases. In carrying out these purposes, the Chapter functions, in consultation with the leadership of the College, as a source of advice to local and state governmental and professional organizations concerning issues related to cardiovascular disease. The Chapter, in the interest of patients, physicians, and the public in general, maintains a high level of social consciousness and involvement with socioeconomic factors and access to the highest possible quality of cardiovascular health care. Congratulations AZ ACC on winning a 2008 Chapter Recognition Award! Action Alert: Repeal Medicare’s sustainable growth rate formula. On Monday, the Senate Health, Energy, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP) chaired by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA), released the Affordable Health Choices Act. In addition, the Senate Finance Committee, chaired by Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), plans to introduce healthcare legislation as early as next week. On the House side, key Democrats are expected to release a healthcare proposal next week. Both the House and the Senate intend to pass their respective health system reform legislation by the August recess. The ACC believes that in order for health system reform to truly succeed, Medicare's sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula must be repealed once and for all. Now is the time for lawmakers to hear from YOU about the need for fundamental payment reform. They need to hear how the current payment environment has affected your ability to run a practice and provide your patients access to the care they need and deserve. ACT NOW Using the ACC's toll-free grassroots hotline (800-210-7193) or grassroots email system , contact your members of Congress and tell them to: • Stop the 21.5 percent Medicare physician payment cut slated to take effect on January 1, 2010. • Permanently repeal the flawed Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula and work with the physician community to transition to a new system that provides stable, positive updates and covers increasing costs of care. • Test alternative payment models that improve quality and outcomes and reduce overall Medicare costs. • Oppose the use of imaging prior authorization in Medicare or imaging payment cuts. In addition, please urge Congress to reform the medical liability system as part of its health reform efforts. Physicians and care providers that provide imaging services or are part of specialty hospitals should also make sure to tell Congress not to place limitations on physician ownership in facilities, equipment or services that benefit patients through the delivery of appropriate, high quality care. The health reform landscape is changing rapidly. Now is the time to make your voice heard and to utilize any connections you may have with lawmakers and/or their staff. ACT NOW! Finally, it's critical that you take advantage of the opportunities provided by the ACC's CardioAdvocacy Network (CAN) and the ACC Political Action Committee (PAC). Both programs are great ways to stay up-to-date on legislative issues and to influence congressional leaders. You can also follow ACC Advocacy on Twitter (@Cardiology) or share your thoughts on health reform at the ACC's online forum, "The Lewin Report." For more information, contact Molly Nichelson (800) 253-4636 x 6470 / mnichels@acc.org. You can also visit www.acc.org/can Shared Wisdom Share your stories here and represent Cardiology. REMINDER: NCCI Corrects Echo "Add on" Codes On April 1, 2009, the National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) removed its restriction on billing the echocardiography "add-on" codes (CPT 93320 and 93325) together. The NCCI accepted the ACC recommendation to retroactively remove the coding edit and permit medical providers to bill these codes with the appropriate echocardiography CPT code during the same visit on the same day.   + 93320 - Doppler echocardiography, pulsed wave and/or continuous wave with spectral display (List separately in addition to code for echocardiographic imaging); complete + 93325 - Doppler echocardiography color flow velocity mapping (List separately in addition to code for echocardiographic imaging)   The College advises its members and office practices to resubmit any claims on or after Jan. 1, 2009 denied for using both CPT 93320 and 93325 together. For more information about coding changes for 2009, see The ACC 2009 Guide to Cardiology Coding and Payment Changes. Also, the “Cardiovascular Coding 2009: Practical Reporting of Cardiovascular Services and Procedures” guide is now available for purchase online.   ACC and ASE Surveys Impact of Echo Code Changes   The American College of Cardiology and the American Society of Echocardiography are asking its members and practices to complete a brief survey on the impact of the new echocardiography CPT 93306 code.  Both organizations have heard varying reports of implementation and reimbursement problems surrounding the new CPT code.  The survey is to provide us with a better understanding of these issues as well as assist us in creating a model letter that members can modify to address the issue with private payers with whom their practices are contracted.    It is important that the person who completes the survey be familiar with the practices’ current contracts between your practice and insurance companies, and that the person understands the scope of Medicare changes this year.  The survey will ask the impact of 93306 (global) and 93306-26 (professional component).   To complete the survey, click here: http://www.surveys.acc.org/se.ashx?s=0B87B744055AB781   The survey will close on Friday, June 5, 2009.   "Transforming the Health Care Delivery System: Proposals to Improve Patient Care and Reduce Health Care Costs" The Senate Finance Committee late yesterday released the first in a series of policy options for health care reform. The document "Transforming the Health Care Delivery System: Proposals to Improve Patient Care and Reduce Health Care Costs<http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/leg/LEG%202009/042809%20Health%20Care%20Description%20of%20Policy%20Option.pdf>," addresses short and long-term payment reform options and infrastructure investments to support delivery system reform. The committee is expected to release similar proposals addressing coverage and financing in the coming month, with the goal of receiving input from the Senators and the public, including the physician community, before crafting a bipartisan health reform plan for the committee to act on in June. Click here to read the rest of this article. ACC Partnering With Chapters to Pursue Critical State Legislative Initiatives GUEST POST http://lewinreport.acc.org/post/ACC-Partnering-With-Chapters.aspx> by Jack Lewin http://lewinreport.acc.org/author/Jack%20Lewin.aspx> April 28, 2009 04:43 This post comes from ACC Secretary and Board of Governors (B0G) Chair John Gordon Harold, M.D., F.A.C.C. Dr. Harold is cardiologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and has held a number of leadership posts within the College, including as a part president of the California Chapter and immediate past governor for Southern California. As BOG Chair, Dr. Harold will champion the 2009-2010 BOG priorities, in particular focusing on state advocacy. At any given moment, states and their lawmakers are thinking about, drafting, considering or even voting on legislation that will impact the way you practice medicine. As a practitioner, you may never hear about these initiatives – even though you could be directly affected. [cid:image001.jpg@01C9C849.6C3043C0] This is where your local chapter comes in. ACC chapters work together with the ACC to pursue critical state legislative initiatives, such as maintaining access to office-based imaging, ensuring appropriate STEMI care, championing health advocacy and promoting public safety. The chapters and the ACC also work closely with the Board of Governors (BOG) Steering Committee and State Advocacy Work Group (formed by the BOG in 2008 with a mission to increase and improve state advocacy and outreach). This group maintains regular contact with Jim Boxall<mailto:Jboxall@acc.org> at the ACC, who is a virtual clearinghouse of information on legislative and regulatory issues and how-to tips for expanding Chapter state advocacy programs. Through these collaborations, the College is pursuing a multi-faceted policy and legislative agenda that reflects the diverse needs and interests of members. This agenda includes holding enhanced lobby days and “Cardiologist for a Day” programs, improving online advocacy tools, and increasing collaboration with the American Heart Association (AHA) and other groups. In addition, the College, through its State Advocacy Workgroup, is working closely with six chapters that have the staff and resources to be models for other states. Using ACC National Funding Proposals, these chapters -- Alabama, Arizona, Iowa, Kentucky, Rhode Island and Washington -- will build relationships with other medical groups and their respective state legislatures to influence policy. California Chapter: An Example In my chapter, the California Chapter (CA-ACC), we have a history of state legislative victories. This is because Chapter staff, in cooperation with ACC state advocacy staff, closely monitors all legislation and actively lobbies to defeat adverse legislation while supporting legislation to promote the quality of cardiovascular patient care. In one particular example, Chapter leadership reached out to colleagues at the American College of Radiology through the California Radiologic Society (CRS).  The discussion revolved around a proposed Assembly bill that could potentially limit office-based cardiac imaging. When the bill came up, I recommended contact with CRS to see where we could find common ground, as the stated focus of the bill was eliminating "fraud and abuse." The inter-society discussions went well and both groups agreed to focus on mutually acknowledged areas. Both the CA-ACC and CRS lobbyists worked together and came to an agreement on bill language. For other state chapter examples, visit the ACC Chapter Web site<http://www.acc.org/about/chapters/chapters.htm>. Get Involved! The ACC is only as strong as its members. You can help advocate for quality health care—and influence health care policy—at both the state and federal level in several ways: 1.       Get involved with your ACC Chapters by contacting the Chapter Executive<http://www.acc.org/about/chapters/chapters_list.htm> in your state. 2.       Get involved at with ACC’s grassroots efforts (www.acc.org/CAN>) and help shape health care policy at the federal, state and local levels. 3.       Support candidates who understand the importance of cardiovascular care by donating to the ACC Political Action Committee<https://www.accpacweb.org/ssl/default.aspx> (PAC). 4.       Attend the American College of Cardiology’s 2009 Legislative Conference<http://www.acc.org/advocacy/leg_conf_09/about.htm> taking place Sept. 13-15 in Washington, D.C. Take advantage of this opportunity to help educate Congress about the needs of cardiovascular professionals and patients. 5.       Visit the Web site of ACC’s health care reform campaign, Quality First<http://qualityfirst.acc.org/Pages/default_new.aspx>, and visit often! Here you can learn about how the ACC is working to transform health care from the inside out, as well as the latest Quality First news and events. - By John Gordon Harold, M.D., F.A.C.C., Chair, ACC Board of Governors * Dr. Harold's post is part of a monthly series of guest posts<http://lewinreport.acc.org/?tag=/guest+post> by ACC leadership. Check back next month to see which ACC leader is sharing his or her thoughts on health care reform! CMS to hold Part A and Part B RAC Forums CMS has scheduled two special Open Door Forums to introduce providers to the new Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs) and to share information about the RAC program. One is scheduled for Medicare Part A providers, and one for Part B providers. These conference calls tend to be quite popular, so we suggest that anyone interested call in 15 minutes early to ensure you can participate on the call. The Part A providers call is scheduled for Wednesday, April 8 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm EDT Dial 1-800-837-1935 (Conference ID: 92490299) The Part B providers call is scheduled for Tuesday, April 14, 2009 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm EDT Dial 1-800-837-1935 (Conference ID: 92489480) As a reminder, the Medicare RAC program is now permanent and will be expanded to all 50 states by 2010. The ODF calls offer an excellent opportunity to learn how the program will evolve and to ask questions of the CMS staff, and ACC staff strongly encourages everyone who can find time to participate to do so. Click Here for CMS' provider outreach schedule for the RAC program in each of the four RAC regions. Arizona Picked for Google Health-File Experiment Arizona seniors will be pioneers in a Medicare program that encourages patients to store their medical histories on Google or other commercial Web sites as part of a government effort to streamline and improve health care. The federal agency that oversees Medicare selected Arizona and Utah for a pilot program that invites patients to store their health records on the Internet with Google or one of three other vendors. The program allows patients to easily share their medical histories, which now often must be provided separately to doctors, hospitals, labs or pharmacies. That could help patients if they switch doctors, pick up prescriptions or get care at an emergency room. Click here to read the rest of this article. Click here for the rest of the story.