There are major threats to timely patient access to quality cardiac care. Act Now!
Timely Patient Access
Heart disease is the number one killer in America. Having access to quality cardiac care is critical. However, bureaucratic actions by Medicare (CMS) threaten access to patient care, including the potential closure of rural medical facilities, reduction in available imaging locations, and timely testing procedures.
Specialized Care
It requires significant commitment and an investment of years of training to become a cardiologist. As with other medical specialties, this provides the patient with critical care at the right time. Any system that works to commoditize medicine will limit and restrict specialists who work hard to bring experience and trust to the patient/physician relationship.
For additional information, you can also go to guardingheartsalliance.org
Articles and Documents you should read
Documents (PDF)
- Protecting and Preserving Access to Quality Imaging Services for our Nation’s Medicare Patients
- Proposed Medicare cuts of 11-15 percent will restrict patient access to cardiac care
- Immediate threats to patients access to cardiovascular care in St. Louis
- Government Accounting Office (GAO) suggests that “further cuts [in reimbursement of advanced imaging services] could endanger the availability of these services
Slide Presentations
Articles
- A Case of Getting What You Pay For - With Heart Attack Treatments, as Quality Rises, So Does Cost
- Focus on Health Savings Obscures Other Issues
- Flawed MedPAC survey drives debate on imaging payment cuts
Other Resources
- See the Missouri State Medical Association comments on reform
- An online resource with many articles focusing on "Quality First - Transforming Health Care from the Inside Out"
The last thing we need are waiting lines for critical services!
Questions for your Representatives in the House and Senators
