Cardiology

HCPLive interviewed Ron Wince, president and CEO of Guidon Performance Solutions about the healthcare reform bill.

We met cute. Classic Hollywood. America caught a glimpse of healthcare reform about a year ago--but only in passing, a little flirtatious hair-toss. Couldn't really see anything, veiled and shadowy, but God did she look great.

I have stayed away from saying much about the health care reform debate so far, but based on the healthcare reform plan passed yesterday, I'd have to say, "Gosh, that doesn't look too bad."

If you've read my first three blogs you've gleaned that I complain a lot, and I think I do it fairly well... LOL. But this last week was a pretty good one, from my perspective anyway.

Sunday evening, the House of Representatives voted 219 to 212 to approve the Senate version of the health reform bill. Lost in all the hoopla surrounding backroom wheeling and dealing and arcane parliamentary procedures has been the response from the physician community, which has been decidedly mixed.

The healthcare sector will see an increase of 4 million jobs by 2018. Unfortunately, we'll continue to see shortages on the doctor's side, meaning that to take advantage of growth, doctors will need to cultivate a strong supporting cast. Here's how to do it.

A new website provides data on how healthy-or unhealthy-every county is.

During the first months of my internship at Milwaukee County Hospital, a distraught family asked me to remain with their loved one while he died. An elderly male with total pulmonary failure, his soul was tethered to earth only by IPPB-assisted respiration.

A novel mitral valve clip was proven to be as safe and effective as open-chest surgery in selected patients with mitral valve regurgitation.

Genetic testing as part of initial management of patients on warfarin reduced hospitalizations by nearly 30%.

A novel drug-eluting stent using a new alloy and design achieved comparable outcomes versus earlier generation drug-eluting stents in the PERSEUS trial.

Remote monitoring of patients with an ICD had shorter times to clinical decision-making versus standard office visits in the CONNECT trial.

Portable ORs, using thoughts to control motions, and auto-anesthesia--these are some of the technologies that will transform the practice of cardiology.

Among the top study results presented during this session at the ACC 59th Annual Scientific Session, here are three focusing on pulmonary hypertension.

During the meeting, there were hundred of poster presentations. Hypertension-specific posters are profiled here.

In yet another outstanding set of poster presentations, the following were among the best under the heading "hypertension and heart failure."

These three posters presented at the conference stood out under the "exercise and vascular modulation" heading.

A cryoablation catheter system was nearly 10 times more effective than standard drug therapy in eliminating intermittent atrial fibrillation and equally safe.

Several studies were presented under the topic of biomarker implications in myocardial ischemia/infarction at the ACC.10.

In a phase II study, eprotirome was shown to be both safe and effective in lowering cholesterol without classic thyroid risks, however it is not known whether this lowering of cholesterol will ultimately protect patients from heart disease.

Purchases of cholesterol and diabetes prescription drugs by elderly Medicare beneficiaries reached nearly $19 billion in 2007 – about 1/4 of the approximately $82 billion spent for medications for the elderly.

There were several very good studies presented during this poster session at ACC.10. Here, the best are highlighted.

The market for retail health clinics is expected to expand more than 30 percent by 2014, signaling a major opportunity for physicians. Here are three ways in which you can take advantage of this growth trend.

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Chris Jennings discussed the state of health care reform.

ACC.10 workshop offers unique, visually engaging way to learn cardiac auscultation.

Patients with mitral regurgitation treated with the MitraClip valve repair system experience fewer complications compared to patients treated with surgery.

Highlights from studies on the hypertension effects on the left ventricle, from posters presented at the 59th Annual Scientific Sessions of the ACC.

Poster presentations focused on angiotensin receptor blockers from the ACC 59th Annual Scientific Session.

Poster highlights from the the 59th Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology.

The enzyme calmodium kinase II reduces the heart's negative functions while maintaining positive ones, making the enzyme a potential new treatment for heart arrhythmias and failure.