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Ohio-ACC Practice Managers Session on Saturday,
October 16.
Click
to find out more and register. Topics
of discussion to include: Financial Efficiency in a Challenging Economic Environment: Corporate Structure, Tax Reduction
& Benefit Planning for Ohio Cardiology Practices; Practice –
Healthcare System Integration: To Join or not to Join; Practice Governance: What Works and What Doesn’t; Managing the
Cardiovascular Service Line, Provider-based Reimbursement; Meaningful Use, H2H, Strategic Planning, development of the Physician
Covenant; Current Legislation
Panelists:
David B. Mandell, JD, MBA
Jeff Smith, Director,
Government Relations, OSMA
Patrick White, President, MedAxiom
Keith Wiesenberg, Executive Director, Miami Valley
Cardiologists
Session Planners: Jennifer
Selm, CEO, Greater Cincinnati Cardiovascular Consultants, Inc.; Greg Underwood, Chief Executive Officer, Cardiology Associates
of Cincinnati, Inc.; Keith Wiesenberg, Executive Director, Miami Valley Cardiologists; George Wietmarschen, CEO, Comprehensive
Cardiology Consultants
 Attention practice managers! Join the ACC today. Learn more.
Participate in the new PINNACLE Network™
Participate in the
new PINNACLE Network™. This first-ever, registry-based cardiovascular network is designed to provide practices with
the tools they need to promote practice innovations and achieve clinical excellence. Learn more.
Have a coding question? If you're a member of the Ohio
Chapter-ACC, email your question to ohioacc@gmail.com
Why not include information about CardioSmart on your practice website? Learn how.
Anthem
Blue Cross Blue Shield plans to implement a new echocardiography pre-notification and pre-authorization program to be launched
later this summer. Click here for the information sheet about the new plan. The ACC and ASE sent a joint letter to WellPoint,
Anthem's parent company, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Samuel Nussbaum, MD, requesting a suspension
for the insurer's announced echo pre-notification and results reporting program until a reasonable and viable alterative can
be reached. The medical groups expressed concern about the major distruption these programs will cause to medical practices.
They also conveyed that the program is misdirected to penalize all echo providers rather than the inadqueately trained and
test duplicators. Click here for the full text of the letter. Please send your own letters in support of the ACC/ASE position. Address
your letters to:
Samuel R. Nussbaum, M.D.
Executive Vice
President, Clinical Health Policy
and Chief Medical Officer
WellPoint, Inc.
120 Monument Circle
Indianapolis, IN 46204
ACC staff also
met with the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. The meeting focused on major concerns and iniaitives of national medical
specialty societies such as the ACC. The outcome of the meeting will be the convening of several workgroups that will focus
on the following: 1) Prior Authorization alternatives and standardization; 2) The role of the specialist in the Patient Centered
Medical Home; and 3) Physician recognition programs. The BCBSA also noted they will assist ACC and ASNC in communications
surrounding the new nuclear codes to member plans to avoid payment delays in 2010.
UHC -
prior notification
Beginning July 1, 2010, UnitedHealthcare will require prior notification for certain cardiac procedures
rendered to members enrolled in UnitedHealthcare Choice, UnitedHealthcare Choice Plus, UnitedHealthcare Select, and UnitedHealthcare
Select Plus benefit plans, as well as Medicare Advantage members enrolled in benefit plans issued or administered by
SecureHorizons® and Evercare® on UnitedHealthcareOnline.com and subject to the UnitedHealthcare Provider Administrative
Guide. This requirement will be effective for Florida, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin.
To further assist you in understanding this program, UHC
has posted additional resources such as Frequently Asked Questions, a plan inclusion and exclusion grid, CPT
codes and quick reference guide at UnitedHealthcareOnline.com > Clinical Resources > Cardiology.
The Geographic Practice Cost Index (GPCI) Medicare is statutorily required to adjust payments for physician
fee schedule services to account for differences in costs due to geographic location. There are currently 89 different localities
which have not been revised since 1997. Medicare has been looking into revising GPCI system for several years, but has
not finalized any proposals. CMS contracted a consulting firm to study alternative GPCI systems and released a interim
study at:
We suggest sending comment letters to
Medicare on the subject during the next Physician Proposed Rule comment period (Summer 2010).
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