Winter, 2010
From Your Chapter President
The 82nd Annual Scientific Session of The New York
Cardiological Society, Inc. and
the 20th Annual Meeting of the New York State
Chapter of the American College of Cardiology will be held on Saturday, October 16, 2010 in
ALBANY at the Desmond Hotel. We hope that
this location change (previously at the New York Athletic Club in
Manhattan) will enable members and
fellows from all over New York State to participate. Please consider
attending! It is also an
excellent opportunity to spend an additional day further north,
experiencing the fall colors of the Adirondacks and the
Berkshires.
This year's theme is THE BEST OF THE EMPIRE
STATE and will feature five distinguished speakers from our
State. There will also be a reception enabling practicing
cardiologists to interact with trainees in fellowship. Stay tuned for
more information, but please reserve that date on your calendar --
Saturday, October 16, 2010 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. This year's speakers
include:
William E. Boden, MD, Professor of Medicine and Public Health at
SUNY-Buffalo, who will
discuss the legacy of the COURAGE
Trial
Leonard N. Girardi, MD, Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at
Weill-Cornell Medical Center, who will discuss Thoracic Aneurysms and
Dissections
Arthur J. Moss, MD, Professor of Medicine at the University of
Rochester, who will discuss the MADIT series of
trials
Manish Parikh, MD, Co-Director of the Coronary Intervention Division
and the Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Program at Lenox Hill
Hospital
Mary Therriault, RN, MS, Senior Director, Quality and Research
Initiatives, Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) and
coordinator of CMS Activities
We have tried to include something for everybody,
and can guarantee an interesting, interactive and educational
day.
Additionally, the New York State Chapter has proudly endorsed the curriculum on
the first day of the 25th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hypertension
which will be held at the Hilton in Manhattan on Saturday, May 1, 2010. This event, HYPERTENSION HIGHLIGHTS, features a number of topics of interest to the
cardiologist including talks by Dr. Clyde Yancy, Dr. Bertram Pitt, Dr. Allyn Mark and
Dr. Robert Eckel --- to name a few. Attendees
may sign up for May 1 only or for the entire ASH meeting scheduled from
May 1-4, 2010.
You may download a brochure by going to the
following website:
http://www.ash-us.org/annual_meeting/pdf/2010ProgramRegistrationBrochure.pdf
See you in Atlanta at ACC
10!
Bad News from the Legal
Front
By Jack
Lewin
As our attorneys, ACC's witnesses, staff, and I were about to board our flights to Florida for the scheduled hearing on our preliminary injunction and expedited discovery motions related to the Medicare 2010 Payment Rule, Judge William Dimitrouleas of the US District Court Southern District of Florida denied our motions. Basically, he refused to hear our case.
We are deeply disappointed in the judge’s decision
not to hear our case based on his opinion that the federal courts do
not have jurisdiction to review Medicare physician payment
determinations. Nevertheless, we continue to believe in the
well-documented merits of our case. The ACC will continue
advocating for real payment solutions based on quality outcomes and
patient care.
What is deeply troubling about today’s ruling is that it sets the precedent that CMS has complete and unchecked control over physician reimbursement for patient care even where its determinations are based on faulty data. This only begs the question: Who's next? Today’s ruling should be a warning to all physicians that anyone is susceptible to falling into CMS’s crosshairs unfairly and without recourse.
Today’s decision is counted as a loss; however, we stand behind our position that the system erred. The practice expense data used to determine this rule was inaccurate and incomplete. Reliance on this data will negatively impact patients' access to care.
We have introduced legislation and we remain hopeful that Congress will get the message that these cuts represent bad public policy.
Our ongoing campaign for patient access is about making quality cardiovascular care accessible to the millions of Americans who are battling our country’s number one killer, heart disease. We will continue to fight on behalf of our patients to protect their access to quality care. I encourage you to visit CampaignforPatientAccess.org for more.
2010
Arvilla Berger Lecture
Joseph Loscalzo, MD, PhD
Joseph Loscalzo, MD
The lecture will be presented at the University of Rochester Medical Center on Tuesday,
March 2, 2010 at 8:00 a.m. Please contact the New York State Chapter office at 212.686.0228 for additional information.
Mayo Clinic in Arizona to Stop Treating Some Medicare Patients
The
Mayo Clinic has stopped
accepting Medicare patients at one of its primary-care clinics in
Arizona. More than 3,000 patients eligible for Medicare, the government’s
largest health-insurance program, will be forced to pay cash if they want
to continue seeing their doctors at a Mayo family clinic in Glendale,
northwest of Phoenix.
Medicare
patients who choose to stay at Mayo’s Glendale clinic will pay
approximately $1,500 a year for an annual physical and three other doctor
visits, according to an October letter from the facility. Each patient
will also be assessed a $250 annual administrative fee, according to the
letter. Medicare patients at the Glendale clinic will not be permitted to
switch to a primary care doctor at another Mayo facility.
Mayo
will continue to accept Medicare as payment for laboratory services and
specialist care such as cardiology and neurology.
Cardiology Subspecialty Training
Survey In
our continuing effort to better serve our membership, a subspecialty
training questionnaire has been posted on the New York State Chapter
website. The questionnaire was developed by Mark Goldman, MD, one of our
FITs. Please take a moment and visit the New York State Chapter website at
www.ny-acc.org,
go to News Flash and click on Complete our Cardiology Subspecialty
Training Questionnaire. A summary of the results will be presented at a
later date. Save the
Date New York State Legislative
Day
Join your colleagues in making certain that your call
for health insurance fairness and liability reform are heard and that your
needs are protected in the 2010 state budget negotiations by participating
in the New York State Legislative Day on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 in Albany.
This is an
opportunity for you and your colleagues to share your concerns with your
legislators.
For additional information, contact the Medical Society of the State of New
York
at
518.465.8085
Federal Trade Commission
Delays Red Flag Rules Again The
Federal Trade Commission has announced that the Red Flags rule has
been delayed until June 1, 2010. For additional information on the FTC's
decision visit: http://www2.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/redflags.shtm
Upcoming Meetings
ACC >10
Sunday
Atlanta, Georgia
Thirty-Seventh
Annual
Arvilla Berger
Lecture
PULMONARY ARTERIAL
HYPERTENSION:
NEWER CONCEPTS IN
PATHOBIOLOGY AND TREATMENT
Tuesday, March 2,
2010
University of Rochester Medical
Center
Rochester, New
York
CARDIOLOGY AT MOHONK
Saturday
New
18th Annual
(co-sponsor)
DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT OF CARDIAC
ARRHYTHMIAS
Saturday, May 8, 2010
The Princeton/Columbia Club
of
THIRD ANNUAL CARDIAC CARE ASSOCIATE
SYMPOSIUM 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
82nd Annual Scientific Session
The New York Cardiological Society
20th Annual Meeting
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Desmond Hotel
Albany, New York
Up-to-date meeting information
appears on the