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Legislative Practice Visits: Let Them See What the Cardiac Care Team Can Do
The ACC is urging members to join the advocacy effort by hosting a Legislator Practice Visit. These visits provide unique opportunities for federal and state government officials to witness first-hand how the cardiac care team provides patients with quality, cost-efficient care by employing state of the art technology, health care data and professional training through a team approach. These visits are also opportunities to establish and/or building upon personal relationships with policymakers at the state and/or federal level. Contact Elizabeth Ellis at eellis@acc.org for more information or to set up a practice visit.
Calling All FITs: Join the ‘FITs on the GO’ Community!
FITs, whether attending ACC.12 or not, can sign up now for the special “FITs on the GO” community, which is currently focused on ACC.12 activities and coverage specifically for FITs. To join the community and check out the latest videos and commentary, go to: www.CardioSource.org/FIT. In addition, FITs attending the meeting who are interested in serving as roving reporters should contact Amalea Hijar (ahijar@acc.org).
A Closer Look at 2012 Coding Changes
The 2012 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule included several coding changes for 2012 in the field of cardiology. The most extensive changes in the field occur in two areas: renal angiography and pacemaker/implantable cardioverter-defibrillators. For more information on the coding changes, check out the January/February issue of Cardiology. In addition, the new CPT® Reference Guide for Cardiovascular Coding is available for purchase. For questions on specific coding issues, contact coding@acc.org. Also don’t miss the special session on coding at ACC.12.
News from RACE Central
The RACE acronym has been modified to encompass our overall mission, “Regional Approach to Cardiovascular Emergencies”. Based upon the input of thousands of participating health care providers across the state, we will expand our model to expedite emergency care to cardiac arrest and stroke victims. This approach embraces existing leadership, institutions and resources to develop coordinated plans of care across every hospitals and emergency medical service. Supported by regional coordinators, ongoing data collection and feedback, regional meetings, state-wide consensus documents, and customized training of health care professionals, our interventions speed diagnosis and treatment. According to this approach, every North Carolinian can receive the best cardiovascular care regardless of geographic location or socioeconomic status.
Recently, the Medtronic Foundation HeartRescue project selected North Carolina as one of five states to implement and regional cardiac arrest system, termed RACE-CARS (Cardiac Arrest Regional System). This will not only involve the same partners as the STEMI program, EMS and hospitals, but will also include a community education plan.
The next initiative that begs for a regional system implementation model will be RACE-STROKE. Initial conversations with state partners and physician leadership in neurology and emergency medicine have occurred. This initiative would in no way replace existing work being done at the state and regional level. RACE STROKE will seek to work in tandem and support ongoing efforts and with other organizations with vested interest in the stroke patients. As soon as funding is secured, more information will be posted and communicated directly at state RACE regional meetings.
January Deadlines Approaching
As of Jan 1, 2012, suppliers who furnish the technical component of Advanced Diagnostic Imaging (ADI) must be accredited in order to bill Medicare for these services. For dates of service on or after Jan. 1, MACs will begin denying claims by non- accredited suppliers. More information about Accreditation process, including a list of accrediting organizations and details of the accreditation process, is available on the CMS website and on www.cardiosource.org. Also, as of Jan. 2012, providers must be transitioned to Version 5010. There are certain steps that providers should be taking this fall to ensure a smooth transition. Specifically, providers should be continuing with external testing and making any system revisions. Daily transactions, such as claims and eligibility determinations, should be undergoing testing as well. More information on the transition is available on the CMS website and on www.cardiosource.org
Reperfusion of Acute Myocardial Infarction in Carolina Emergency Departments
The RACE project is a statewide system for providing rapid artery reperfusion for patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Established in 2003, the RACE system incorporates the quality improvement efforts of over 100 hospitals, 700 and emergency systems, and thousands of health care professionals working in a coordinated effort in order to improve timely reperfusion.
The key elements of the system include regional organization and coordination, institution of the single best plan for treatment at every point of care, ongoing measurement, and the establishment of teams of healthcare professionals that span all aspects of STEMI care.
Click here for more information about RACE.
Learn more about CardioSmart and World Heart Day
CardioSmart is a patient education site of the American College of Cardiology. Our mission is to engage, inform, and empower patients to better prepare them for participation in their own care. We are committed to providing visitors to our site with accurate, un-biased information in an advertising-free environment. We hope you enjoy visiting our site and find it a useful extension of your relationship with your cardiologist.
View the CardioSmart brochure
View the Cardiosmart Patient Flyer
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