Dear Colleague,

 

I would like to invite you to join me at the Ohio-ACC's Spring Summit on Wednesday, April 17. 

 

We are honored to have Dr. Joseph Loscalzo present the 50th Annual Carl J. Wiggers Memorial Lecture. I had the privilege of working with Dr. Losczalzo, and can tell you that he is one of the smartest people I know. You will not want to miss hearing his lecture entitled Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Newer Concepts in Pathobiology and Treatment. 

 

Topics for the Cardiac Care Associate CV Update in the afternoon will include Herbal & Over the Counter Products: Their Outcomes/Interactions with Cardiovascular Medications; Broken Heart Syndrome: Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy; Atrial Fibrillation: Beyond the AFFIRM Trial; Advanced Heart Failure Therapies: Care for LVADS, New ICDs and More.

 

Please take a moment to review the schedule, and register to attend. I look forward to seeing you there.

 

Feel free to contact me at christopher.cooper@utoledo.edu.

 

Sincerely,

 

Christopher J. Cooper MD, FACC

President, Ohio Chapter of the ACC

 

On March 19, 2013, the Ohio ACC held its annual Legislative Day in Columbus. Cardiologists, cardiac care associates, practice managers and pharmacists represented the Ohio-ACC at the Statehouse. They spent the day meeting with state senators and representatives regarding several important issues affecting cardiology and healthcare. (See photos here.)

 

Pulse Oximetry, Medicaid Expansion, OTP, and Tort Reform

• One issue addressed was a bill supporting screening for critical congenital heart disease in newborns by pulse oximetry. The Senate actively debated and passed this bill in the Senate while we were there, which was interesting to observe. 
• Another hot topic discussed in our meetings was Medicaid expansion in Ohio, which is included in Governor Kasich's new budget bill. Access to healthcare appears to be an idea most legislators agreed upon; of course, the actual plan to achieve this goal will be widely debated in the ensuing months. 
• Our group also stressed the importance of taxing 'other tobacco products' on a comparable level to cigarettes, with the hope of discouraging younger people from beginning their use of such products.  As a state, Ohio is ranked last in the nation for tobacco prevention efforts.  
• Lastly, tort reform was also mentioned to eventually amend the 'I'm sorry' law and to abolish the 'loss of change' theory of liability.

Regardless of one's political outlook, Legislative Day provides an opportunity to exchange ideas in a political forum that benefits both health care providers and lawmakers.  In today's medical climate, it has never been more imperative that we provide and educate our politicians about our positions.  If you have never attended a legislative day, whether it be at the state or national level, I would strongly encourage that you take the time to participate. Mark your calendar for the National ACC Legislative Conference in Washington, DC, September 22-24, 2013.

After a lengthy delay, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that, beginning on May 1, it will implement edits to prevent payment for services ordered or referred by providers not enrolled in the Medicare program. The policy was first announced in 2009 and was delayed amid the numerous concerns raised by the ACC, the American Medical Association and others. Enrollment does not require that providers be participating in the Medicare program, merely that their information is contained within CMS' provider database. The ACC recommends that cardiologists check their Medicare provider enrollment information to ensure it is current and accurate. For details on the changes, additional ACC recommendations and a sample letter for referral sources, visit CardioSource.org. 

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Saturday, October 5, 2013