December 4th, 2009
The Final CMS Rule Is Flawed
vincentjbufalino and Larry Husten, PHD
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Final Rule on the cardiology fee schedule (download the entire 450-page document here) is an ill-conceived policy change that will drastically affect the practice of cardiology in the United States. Relying on limited, unrepresentative data from the Physician Practice Information survey (PPIS) done by the AMA, the CMS determined that […]
December 3rd, 2009
Sensitive Troponin Assay: Who Needs It? Not Me!
Richard A. Lange, MD, MBA
Sensitive assays for troponin (see here and here) improve early diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction and risk stratification. However, according to a recent NEJM study, sensitive assays detect low circulating levels of cardiac troponin in the great majority (98%) of patients who have stable coronary artery disease and preserved LV systolic function. In many […]
December 2nd, 2009
Cardiology in the Big Tent
Helping our fellows make the most of a national meeting
James De Lemos, MD
I remember the first national meetings I attended as a fellow. They were sensory overload experiences: Huge crowds, stargazing at the cardiology luminaries, preparing and overpreparing for my own talks (attended by few beyond my closest friends), staying up too late at the lobby bars. Now, seeing this experience through the eyes of our own […]
December 1st, 2009
New Guidelines on Perioperative Use of Beta-Blockers: POISE for a DECREASE?
kirstenefleischmann and Richard A. Lange, MD, MBA
By now, there’s a good chance you’ve heard that the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association updated their guidelines on the perioperative use of beta-blockers in patients who undergo noncardiac surgery. Perhaps you’ve been thinking about the implications for practice. I certainly have, but then again I chaired the group that wrote […]