Cardiology Reimbursement Under the Knife Again

It’s that time of year again. In what has seemingly become an annual event, cardiologists are facing another looming deadline for a scheduled round of cuts to Medicare reimbursement. Barring action by Congress, July 1 is the deadline to stop a 10.6% cut in Medicare physician payment.

In an open letter to American College of Cardiology (ACC) members, ACC President Doug Weaver, MD, FACC, states that cardiologists are “again faced with an uncertain future,” noting the “continued and unrelenting reduction in payments for Medicare services” cardiologists have endured since the 1992 revisions to the Medicare physician payment formulas. Although Weaver said that the ACC has been working and advocating on many fronts to stave off this latest threat, he reported that “Three weeks out there is still no positive update and no guarantee that these cuts will be stopped at all, let alone for good.”

As has happened several times in the past, there is a chance that Congress will reach a compromise and avert the payment cuts. The Medicare Reform Plan, a bill proposed by Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), is scheduled to go to the Senate floor for debate this week. According to Weaver, this bill calls for no payment cuts to imaging services and “includes many positive elements for the cardiovascular community, including an 18 month Medicare payment update at .5 percent, an extension of the PQRI through 2011 and positive incentives for e-prescribing through 2013.”

It is crucial that cardiology professionals make their voices heard by contacting their Senators and urging them to support the Medicare payment update and oppose any additional cuts to physician services. Weaver closed his letter by reminding colleagues that in order to make legislators understand the true extent of the impact that continuous payment cuts have on cardiologists and their patients, it is imperative that they provide to Congress “real feedback on how the cuts and the current regulatory environment are impacting [their] practices and ultimately [their] ability to provide patients with the quality care they deserve.”

Visit the ACC CardioAdvocacy Network website to learn how you can help out.

(Reminder: the CardioAdvocacy Network is for the use of ACC members only, who can use an ACC member number and ID to log on to the secure website.)

You can also call the toll-free grassroots hotline at 800-210-7193.