Cardiovascular Rounds

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2011 HF management performance measures stress cross-continuum coordination

on May 15, 2012  |  Permalink

Topics: Public Reporting, Management Tools, Performance Improvement, Process Improvement, Care Coordination, Methodologies, Chronic Care Management, Continuum Integration, Medical Cardiology, Cardiovascular, Service Lines, Readmissions, Quality

Nicole MacMillan, Cardiovascular Roundtable

In late April, the American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF), the American Heart Association (AHA), and the American Medical Association- Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement (AMA- PCPI) released an updated set of performance measures for heart failure management. The measures, an update of the 2005 ACC/ AHA HF performance measures, place an increased emphasis on coordinated, cross-continuum care, while eight past measures deemed redundant and no longer useful were retired. Of the nine total measures, two are focused on the inpatient setting, five on the outpatient setting, and two bridge both settings.

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2011 HF management performance measures stress cross-continuum coordination

Debate over PCI appropriateness heating up again

on February 10, 2012  |  Permalink

Topics: Appropriateness, Quality, Performance Improvement, Cardiac Cath, Cardiovascular, Service Lines, Utilization, Efficiency, Public Reporting, Management Tools

Megan Tooley

In the evolving discussion over appropriate utilization of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), February is already shaping up to be a busy month. To begin, the first focused update to the 2009 Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) for Coronary Revascularization was released, providing new guidance on the appropriateness of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) and PCI for various patient indications.

Now, a critique of the AUC, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Interventions, is adding more fuel to the fire in the ongoing debate around when a PCI is considered appropriate, and who is making that judgment.

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Debate over PCI appropriateness heating up again

ACC and STS launch TVT Registry for transcatheter valve therapies

on December 5, 2011  |  Permalink

Topics: Cardiovascular, Service Lines, Outcomes, Quality, Performance Improvement, Public Reporting, Management Tools, Technology Assessment, Planning, Strategy

Megan Tooley

As recently reported in the Cardiovascular Rounds, the FDA made headlines in November when it approved Edward Lifesciences’ transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) device, the SAPIEN valve, for patients ineligible for traditional aortic valve surgery replacement. Following close behind, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) have announced the launch of the TVT Registry, which will track patient safety and real-world outcomes related to this new technology.

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ACC and STS launch TVT Registry for transcatheter valve therapies

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