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	<title>Campaign for Patient Access</title>
	<link>http://www.campaignforpatientaccess.org/</link>
	<description>Cardiovascular Patients.  Cardiovascular Practices.  At Risk.</description>
	<pubDate>Thu, 18 Feb 2010 01:50:33 +0000</pubDate>
	<language>en</language>
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		<title>Reimbursement cuts hitting hard at local cardiology offices </title>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[Several private cardiology practices in San Antonio are having to lay off employees. They say declining reimbursements from the government are making it harder and harder to recover the costs of doing business. Dr. Charles Rabinowitz is a cardiologist. He loves his job, loves taking care of patients, using the knowledge and skills he's honed from years in school and years in business to help save people's lives.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.kens5.com/news/health/Cuts-in-reimbursements-hitting-hard-at-local-cardiology-offices-84390777.html</link>
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		<title>Medicare cuts rile local cardiologists</title>
		<pubDate>Sun, 14 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[A carton of name-brand cigarettes costs about $55 these days. Thanks to existing and coming Medicare reimbursement cuts for cardiology services, the federal insurer of the elderly and disabled will soon reimburse Indiana physicians close to the same for a cardiac stress test performed in their offices. Local independent cardiologists say these cuts could drive them to go to work for hospitals or perhaps even out of business altogether.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.southbendtribune.com/article/20100214/News01/2140363/-1/googleNews</link>
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		<title>http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2010/02/15/focus1.html</title>
		<pubDate>Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[Hearts are aflutter among local cardiologists. The cause of the palpitations is a new Medicare payment schedule that cut reimbursements so dramatically that the American College of Cardiology is warning practices that they might see revenue decrease by as much as 25 percent. A four-year phase-in of the schedule began Jan. 1.]]></description>
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		<title>Help Us Keep Hearts Healthy This Valentine's Day</title>
		<pubDate>Thu, 11 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[As Valentine's Day 2010 approaches, there is both good news and bad news for heart patients in New York. First, the good news. Over the last decade, the mortality rate for cardiovascular disease in the U.S. has dropped an unprecedented 30%. This tops the progress made in the fight against all other illnesses, including cancer. Cardiologists are successfully preventing heart attacks, and returning cardiac patients quickly to normal activities.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-van-tosh/help-us-keep-hearts-healt_b_458933.html</link>
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		<title>Cardiologists Contest Medicare Cuts</title>
		<pubDate>Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[A cardiologists' lobby filed suit against Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, claiming cuts to heart care services, especially diagnostic tests, are unjustified, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. A judge has already ruled that he can't intervene on the cardiologists' behalf, leaving the doctors to go through the government's complaint process "before considering a suit." The president of the American College of Cardiology "contends the pay cut will make doctors give up their private practices and work for hospitals," which could limit access to some services for patients, and end up costing more, since hospitals charge more for the same services.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2010/January/13/Doctors-business.aspx</link>
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		<title>Cardiologist on front lines of medical-fee battle</title>
		<pubDate>Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[As president of the American College of Cardiology, Bove is point man in a contentious campaign to protect pay for its 37,000 members as the government makes cuts that would shift money from heart specialists like himself to primary-care doctors.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.philly.com/philly/business/81300322.html</link>
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		<title>Some local cardiologists fighting Medicare cuts</title>
		<pubDate>Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[Senior citizens with heart problems may have trouble getting the tests or cardiologists they need unless a federal judge blocks new Medicare cuts, according to Ventura County doctors embroiled in a national struggle over reimbursement.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/jan/12/some-local-cardiologists-fighting-medicare-cuts/</link>
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		<title>Doc groups wanting payment system fixed before reform</title>
		<pubDate>Mon, 11 Jan 2010 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[Meanwhile, the American College of Cardiology and several other professional medical associations have filed a lawsuit against HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in an attempt to permanently block the Medicare reimbursement rate reduction for cardiology services that was scheduled to take effect Jan. 1. The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., charges that Sebelius used a flawed Physician Practice Information Survey, which gathers information about practice expenses, to help determine the rate reduction. ]]></description>
		<link>http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20100111/MODERNPHYSICIAN/301109977</link>
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		<title>Radio Success in Delaware</title>
		<pubDate>Fri, 1 Jan 2010 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[Click here to hear the Audio News release that reached over 29,300 listeners in Delaware!]]></description>
		<link>http://www.campaignforpatientaccess.org/assets/cardiology_crisis_de.mp3</link>
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		<title>Radio Success in New York</title>
		<pubDate>Fri, 1 Jan 2010 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[Click here to hear the Audio News release that reached over 1,612,360 listeners in New York!]]></description>
		<link>http://www.campaignforpatientaccess.org/assets/cardiology_crisis_ny.mp3</link>
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		<title>Radio Success in New Jersey</title>
		<pubDate>Fri, 1 Jan 2010 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[Click here to hear the Audio News release that reached over 233,300 listeners in New Jersey!]]></description>
		<link>http://www.campaignforpatientaccess.org/assets/cardiology_crisis_nj.mp3</link>
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		<title>ACC Sues HHS Secretary Over Payment Cuts</title>
		<pubDate>Thu, 31 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[The American College of Cardiology filed a lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Monday to halt upcoming Medicare payment cuts to doctors they say will drive cardiologists out of private practice.  The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Florida, hopes to block the 2010 Medicare Physician Schedule from going into effect on January 15, 2010.  ACC believes the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) schedule change, which cuts Medicare reimbursements to cardiologists by almost 40 percent, is based on faulty data and will limit patient access to critical diagnostic tests.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.dotmed.com/news/story/11179/</link>
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		<title>Medicare cuts cripple access to cardio care</title>
		<pubDate>Thu, 31 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[Beginning Jan. 1, 2010, Medicare patients throughout New Jersey will find it more difficult to receive potentially life-saving heart tests and treatments. The cause: a cut in the federal reimbursement system that compensates private cardiovascular clinics for serving Medicare patients. "Heart disease is the nation's number one killer, but instead of dedicating new resources to fight this terrible disease we are on the verge of severing patient access to care," said Dr. Louis Evan Teichholz, chief of cardiology at Hackensack Medical Center and New Jersey governor of the American College of Cardiology. "Private cardiovascular clinics are an essential part of the health care delivery system. Yet, these cuts will make it exceptionally difficult for them to continue treating Medicare patients."]]></description>
		<link>http://www.northjersey.com/news/health/announcements/80395657.html</link>
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		<title>Cardiologists sue HHS Secretary over PFS payment rates</title>
		<pubDate>Thu, 31 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[On December 28, 2009, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) filed a complaint against HHS Secretary Sebelius alleging that Sebelius, in her capacity as HHS Secretary, unlawfully adopted the payment rates for cardiology services in the 2010 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Final rule by using the Physician Practice Information Survey (PPIS), despite the presence of clear defects in the PPIS data, and therefore violated the Medicare statute and the Administrative Procedures Act.]]></description>
		<link>http://health.cch.com/news/medicare/123109a.asp</link>
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		<title>Cardiologists sue federal government over proposed Medicare payment cuts</title>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[The new year won't be a happy one for cardiologists because of Medicare payment cuts scheduled to take effect Friday for preventive and diagnostic services to patients. If the American College of Cardiology isn't successful in getting an injunction against the federal government to put the cuts on hold, private-practice cardiologists say they have no choice but to drastically scale back tests on patients, reduce the number of Medicare patients they treat and lay off employees.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/dec/30/cardiologists-sue-department-health-over-proposed-/</link>
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		<title>ACC Files Complaint Against HHS Secretary For Adopting Unlawful Cardiology Payment Rates</title>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[The American College of Cardiology has filed a complaint against the Department of Health and Human Services Sec. Kathleen Sebelius in United States District Court alleging that Sec. Sebelius, in her capacity as the HHS Secretary, unlawfully adopted the payment rates for cardiology services in the 2010 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule by using an invalid Physician Practice Information Survey in a manner that threatens access to care for patients and precipitously increases medical care costs]]></description>
		<link>http://www.hospitalreviewmagazine.com/news-and-analysis/business-and-financial/acc-files-complaint-against-hhs-secretary-for-adopting-unlawful-cardiology-payment-rates.html</link>
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		<title>Cardiologists Sue Federal Government</title>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[The American College of Cardiology filed a lawsuit Dec. 29 against the federal official in charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Social Services in an effort to block the upcoming payment cuts.]]></description>
		<link>http://robinsrx.blogs.theledger.com/10767/cardiologists-sue-federal-government/</link>
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		<title>Groups sue over impending reimbursement cut</title>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[The American College of Cardiology and several other professional medical associations have filed a lawsuit against HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in an attempt to block a Medicare reimbursement rate reduction scheduled to take effect Jan. 1. The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., charges that Sebelius used a flawed Physician Practice Information Survey, which gathers information about practice expenses, to help determine the rate reduction. Those flaws include using information from a sample of only 55 cardiologists, which the plaintiffs allege is too small and unrepresentative of the 37,000 cardiologists now practicing throughout the country. ]]></description>
		<link>http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20091229/REG/312289884</link>
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		<title>Cardiologists sue government to enjoin new Medicare rule </title>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[In what many observers suspect is a harbinger of legal challenges to come, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) today sued the federal Department of Health and Human Services in an effort to block implementation of a new reimbursement rule that, the doctors say, will make critical diagnostic and other cardiology services unavailable to the patients who need them most]]></description>
		<link>http://www.examiner.com/x-28973-Essex-County-Conservative-Examiner~y2009m12d29-Cardiologists-sue-government-to-enjoin-new-Medicare-rule</link>
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		<title>ACC Sues HHS over Medicare Rate Cuts</title>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[The American College of Cardiology (ACC) has filed suit against U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius charging that the 2010 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule was adopted unlawfully.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/Medicare/17729</link>
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		<title>ACC Sues Sebelius Over Medicare Fee Cuts</title>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[The American College of Cardiology (ACC) today said it filed a complaint against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, in United States District Court.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.dicardiology.net/print/35878?t=3</link>
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		<title>Cardiologists sue Sebelius over Medicare fee cuts</title>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[Heart specialists on Monday filed suit against Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius in an effort to stave off steep Medicare fee cuts for routine office-based procedures such as nuclear stress tests and echocardiograms.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-12-23-heart29_ST_N.htm</link>
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		<title>Denver Doctor: Cardiologists Bear Brunt Of Medicare Cost Cuts</title>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[Two of Denver's largest cardiovascular care facilities are sounding the alarm about the effects of impending cuts in Medicare reimbursement. Although Congress has placed a hold on a planned across the board cut of 21 percent for all doctors, the American College of Cardiology said it appears that additional cuts for cardiology services will take effect Jan. 1.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.thedenverchannel.com/health/22076973/detail.html</link>
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		<title>Rate cuts strike at heart of health care; Medicare reimbursement losses put local cardiology services on critical list</title>
		<pubDate>Sat, 26 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[With the fight over health care reaching a fever pitch in Washington and the big insurance companies getting pretty much everything they want from the Senate, Medicare reimbursement rates for important cardiology tests are being drastically cut.  The American College of Cardiology, a 37,000 member non-profit medical society, feels much of this drop is due to recent rapid advances in medicine and medical technology which, in turn, results in improvements to the quality of care. Beginning Jan. 1 the Centers For Medicare and Medicaid, the federal agency that runs Medicare, will cut Medicare payments to cardiologists by as much as 27 percent for cardiology private practices and according to the ACC this could severely curtail the gains made over the last decade. About 90 private practice cardiologists from Schenectady to Hudson fear that these cuts to Medicare reimbursements will affect patients' access to care, especially in the use of diagnostic tests such as nuclear stress tests and echocardiograms, which the ACC says are vital in helping to diagnose the onset of heart disease.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.thedailymail.net/articles/2009/12/26/news/doc4b359e55b8880766405891.txt</link>
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		<title>Radio Success in Tennessee</title>
		<pubDate>Tue, 22 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[Click here to hear the Audio News release that reached over 513,200 listeners in Tennessee!]]></description>
		<link>http://www.campaignforpatientaccess.org/assets/cardiology_crisis_tn.mp3</link>
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		<title>Radio Success in Florida</title>
		<pubDate>Tue, 22 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[Click here to hear the Audio News release that reached over 571,957 listeners in Florida!]]></description>
		<link>http://www.campaignforpatientaccess.org/assets/cardiology_crisis_fl.mp3</link>
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		<title>Radio Success in Alabama</title>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[Listen to the audio news release that was aired reaching over 450 thousand listeners!]]></description>
		<link>http://www.campaignforpatientaccess.org/assets/cardiology_crisis_al.mp3</link>
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		<title>Radio Success in Illinois</title>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[Listen to the audio news release that was aired reaching over 650 thousand listeners!]]></description>
		<link>http://www.campaignforpatientaccess.org/assets/cardiology_crisis_il.mp3</link>
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		<title>Radio Success in Colorado</title>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[Listen to the audio news release that was aired on over 30 radio stations and reached over 375 thousand listeners!]]></description>
		<link>http://www.campaignforpatientaccess.org/assets/cardiology_crisis_co.mp3</link>
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		<title>Guest commentary: Medicare cuts in health-care bill will cost seniors</title>
		<pubDate>Wed, 9 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[On Dec. 3 the U.S. Senate voted to keep significant Medicare cuts in the health-care overhaul bill despite polls showing seniors are concerned about their benefits. Senators voted 50 to 42 to reject an amendment by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. that would have stripped more than $400 billion in Medicare cuts from the health-care bill. The measure would have sent the health-care bill back to the Finance Committee for redo.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/dec/09/medicare-cuts-health-care-bill-will-cost-seniors/</link>
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		<title>Medicare: Cuts will hurt heart disease fight</title>
		<pubDate>Wed, 9 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[On Jan. 1, Medicare patients in Florida will confront a new reality in cardiovascular care. The Obama administration has released the final 2010 Medicare fee schedule, severely cutting reimbursement for Medicare cardiovascular services by as much as 40 percent to 60 percent.]]></description>
		<link>http://jacksonville.com/opinion/letters_from_readers/2009-12-09/story/medicare_cuts_will_hurt_heart_disease_fight</link>
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		<title>Medicare cuts threaten heart care</title>
		<pubDate>Sun, 6 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[ On Jan. 1, 2010, Medicare patients in the state of Florida will confront a new reality &ndash; increased difficulty in access to cardiovascular care. The Obama administration released the final 2010 Physician Fee Schedule on Nov. 1, severely cutting cardiovascular services &ndash; some by as much as 50 percent. ]]></description>
		<link>http://www.bradenton.com/letters/story/1898632.html</link>
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		<title>Cardiology centers, Delta Dental feverish over reform</title>
		<pubDate>Wed, 2 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[Count area cardiology centers and Delta Dental of Colorado among the legions who are jittery about Washington's health care efforts. Two of Denver's larger cardiovascular care practices say they could be forced to cut back on patient services &ndash; including closing clinics and reducing staff &ndash; due to Medicare reimbursement cuts scheduled to go into effect January 2010.]]></description>
		<link>http://denver.bizjournals.com/denver/blog/second_opinion/2009/12/medical_providers_may_need_a_chill_pill_over_reform.html</link>
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		<title>Heart specialists concerned about 2010 Medicare payment cuts</title>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[Earlier this year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released its updated plan for how it would pay physicians for their services to those patients in Medicare, the government insurance program for the elderly and disabled. In the fee schedule, cardiologists saw steep reductions in the payments for imaging and diagnostic services as well as the dropping of consultation fees. This comes on top of a 21 percent cut in Medicare reimbursements facing all physicians because of a growth rate formula. The House recently passed a bill to address that issue. The new payment rules, to be phased in over the next four years, would reduce payments for cardiovascular-related services by an average of 27 percent for private practices, according to the American College of Cardiology.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20091126/articles/911269987</link>
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		<title>AHA: Cardiologists Face Major Payment Cut But Still Back Reform</title>
		<pubDate>Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[In this exclusive MedPage Today InFocus video report, the vice president of the American College of Cardiology sounds an alarm about the potentially devastating effects of planned Medicare payment cuts to its cardiologists, but but he says payment concerns are unlikely to weaken the ACC's longstanding support for healthcare reform.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/PracticeManagement/17019</link>
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		<title>CMS set to cut Medicare physician fees for cardiovascular imaging</title>
		<pubDate>Tue, 3 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[Against a chorus of opposition from cardiovascular imaging specialists, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is planning to make significant cuts to physician payments for several cardiovascular imaging services.  Dr Jack Lewin, CEO of the American College of Cardiology (ACC), agrees that that impact of the cuts could be devastating for private practices. "This is truly a black day for cardiology. There has never been an assault of this magnitude on cardiology, ever." Lewin fears "private-practice cardiology will cease to exist as viable, and cardiologists will shift to hospitals or integrated systems."]]></description>
		<link>http://www.theheart.org/article/1018537.do</link>
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		<title>Proposed Cutbacks to Medicare May Threaten Rural Cardiac Centers</title>
		<pubDate>Mon, 2 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[Cardiologists very much support improved pay for primary care physicians, but not at the expense of reduced echo and nuclear services. The American College of Cardiology, together with specialty imaging societies including ASE, ASNC and SCCT, have long supported aggressive approaches to ensuring that imaging is used appropriately and overutilization is reduced selectively, but not by reducing access to appropriate care using a blunt instrument of reducing payment for services to an untenable level.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.cardiologytoday.com/view.aspx?rid=50213</link>
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		<title>Doctors battle Medicare formula</title>
		<pubDate>Sun, 1 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[The American College of Cardiology, for example, warned that the Medicare cuts along with previous cuts are a "grave threat to cardiology practices and the patients they serve."]]></description>
		<link>http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/2009/11/01/20091101biz-insider1101alltucker.html</link>
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		<title>Proposed cutbacks to Medicare may threaten rural cardiac centers</title>
		<pubDate>Sun, 1 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[The American College of Cardiology, together with specialty imaging societies including ASE, ASNC and SCCT, have long supported aggressive approaches to ensuring that imaging is used appropriately and overutilization is reduced selectively, but not by reducing access to appropriate care using a blunt instrument of reducing payment for services to an untenable level.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.cardiologytoday.com/view.aspx?rid=50196</link>
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		<title>Docs Slam Medicare Payment Rule</title>
		<pubDate>Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA["While CMS has attempted to mitigate the impacts of these cuts by spreading them out over a four-year period, the bottom line is these cuts will cripple the nation's ability to treat cardiovascular disease," said Jack Lewin, an ACC official. "People will needlessly suffer and patients will die as a result of what CMS did today." ]]></description>
		<link>http://mag.org/pdfs/cq_payrule_103009.pdf</link>
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		<title>The War on Specialists</title>
		<pubDate>Tue, 6 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[The chunks Team Obama took out of cardiology RVUs are especially drastic. The basic tools of heart specialists&ndash;echocardiograms (stress tests) and catheterizations&ndash;are slashed by 42% and 24%, respectively. Jack Lewin, who heads the American College of Cardiology, said in an interview that the crackdown will cause "a horrible disruption" that will force many community and independent practices to close their doors, lay off staff or make senior patients wait days or weeks for tests and services.]]></description>
		<link>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704471504574443472658898710.html</link>
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		<title>Q&amp;A with Jack Lewin</title>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[Groups representing consumers, physicians, drug companies, insurers and many other stakeholders are closely monitoring the debate to overhaul the nation's healthcare system. The Hill recently interviewed a major player in the evolving debate, Jack Lewin, CEO of the American College of Cardiology (ACC).]]></description>
		<link>http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/58903-qaa-with-jack-lewin</link>
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		<title>The Corporate "Alliance" For Health Care Reform: V - Organized Medicine</title>
		<pubDate>Wed, 9 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[In July 2009, the Administration proposed a plan to cut Medicare payments to cardiologists and oncologists by more than 10 percent each while increasing reimbursement to family physicians by 8 percent and nurses by 7 percent. This prompted leaders of the American College of Cardiology to warn that "The cuts could have the unintended consequences of rationing care, especially in rural regions with a large number of Medicare patients. In other areas, specialists may decide to pull out of Medicare, or ask patients to make up the difference with higher out-of-pocket payments."]]></description>
		<link>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-geyman/the-corporate-alliance-fo_b_279576.html</link>
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		<title>Cardiologists Crying Foul Over Obama Medicare Cuts </title>
		<pubDate>Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA["Our 37,000 members are fighting tooth and nail on these other issues rather than fighting thoughtfully for expanding access," said Jack Lewin, 63, chief executive officer of the Washington-based American College of Cardiology.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601202&amp;sid=aRqnpw9ZInJ4</link>
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		<title>Cardiologists fuming over proposed cuts to Medicare</title>
		<pubDate>Sun, 23 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA["These proposed cuts are based on the incorporation of a few esoteric pieces of data into a complex formula," stated Dr. Alfred Bove, president of the college, in a press release. "The focus on this formula completely ignores the very important issues of access that are certain to be created by these huge slashes in payment." Cardiologists wouldn't be the only physicians affected by the proposed cuts, if they are approved. ]]></description>
		<link>http://www.dailycommercial.com/localnews/story/082309cardiologists</link>
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		<title>A Basis Is Seen for Some Health Plan Fears Among the Elderly</title>
		<pubDate>Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA["Cuts of this magnitude could cripple cardiology practices and threaten access to services for millions of patients," said Dr. John C. Lewin, chief executive of the American College of Cardiology.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/21/health/policy/21seniors.html?_r=1</link>
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		<title>CMS Announces New Payment Rules that Benefit Primary Care Docs</title>
		<pubDate>Thu, 2 Jul 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[Cardiologists, meanwhile, expect an 11% cut in reimbursements, according to the American College of Cardiology (ACC). "The American College of Cardiology is shocked that CMS has proposed to cut payments to cardiology services by 11 percent in a single year," Alfred Bove, MD, president of the ACC, said in a release.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/Medicare/14944</link>
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		<title>Medicare Plans to Cut Specialists' Payments</title>
		<pubDate>Thu, 2 Jul 2009 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<description><![CDATA[Payments to cardiologists would be trimmed by 11% overall, but certain procedures they perform would see steeper reductions. Alfred Bove, president of the American College of Cardiology, figured that cardiologists would receive 42% less for an echocardiogram and 24% less for a cardiac catheterization.]]></description>
		<link>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124646885862181139.html</link>
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