Telehealth's impact during the pandemic's peak | CMS issues new codes for IVL procedures | Heart transplants & COVID-19

As the COVID-19 pandemic escalated in March and April 2020, many cardiologists made the transition to telemedicine. How did this necessary adjustment affect patient care?

CMS has issued new codes for intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) procedures performed in a patient’s peripheral arteries in both the hospital outpatient and inpatient settings.

The researchers explored data from orthotopic heart transplant patients who were hospitalized for COVID-19 at one of two facilities.

Hypertension is associated with a much greater risk of dying from COVID-19, according to new research published in European Heart Journal. The study’s authors noted that outcomes improved if patients took antihypertensive medications as recommended.

The Montreal Heart Institute has been able to operate at a normal pace and keep COVID-19 at bay—and its specialists think other hospitals could learn a thing or two from their experience.

Asking older patients one simple question when they undergo coronary artery calcium scanning can make a world of difference, according to new findings published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes.

HHS is distributing another $35 billion from the CARES Act designated for healthcare providers responding to the crisis. The CARES Act allocated $175 billion in relief funds to hospitals and healthcare providers, especially those majorly affected by the pandemic.