SCAI urges lawmakers to improve cardiac care access for children
The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) is pushing for the U.S. Senate to adopt a bi-partisan bill that would expand Medicaid access for children outside of their home states.
SCAI said in a statement the Accelerating Kids' Access to Care Act (H.R. 4758/S. 2372) could help connect pediatric patients to interventional cardiologists. Frequently, the closest cardiac pediatric specialists these patients need may be located in the next state over. This legislation would simplify the Medicaid out-of-state provider enrollment process, making this one less thing families need to worry about when seeking care.
The society is asking its more than 4,500 interventional cardiology members to send letters of support to their senators to support the bill.
This is part of a wider effort by SCAI to try to make access to cardiology services easier across the country, especially in rural areas where there is a growing shortage of cardiologists. This point was reinforced by Arnold Seto, MD, chair of the SCAI Advocacy Committee, and Mark Hoyer, MD, co-chair of the SCAI Advocacy Committee and a pediatric cardiologist, in a letter of support they recently sent to congressional leaders. They cited a recent study that found that 46% of all counties in the United States, and whopping 86.2% of rural counties, do not have any cardiologists.[1]
"For interventional cardiologists, those numbers are even lower. Counties that have a cardiologist in them patients have to travel 16 miles round trip. In counties without a cardiologist in them that number jumps up to 87 miles round trip," Seto and Hoyer wrote in their letter. "We need to make it easier for patients to access the care they need."
The Accelerating Kid’s Access to Care Act, if signed into law, would create a national enrollment pathway to help alleviate the administrative burden on interventional cardiologists and other healthcare providers while ensuring that children are able to receive out-of-state care when they need it.
SCAI membership includes a sizable number of pediatric interventional cardiologists that work at children's hospitals across the country. The organization's annual meetings always include a track of sessions specific to pediatric and congenital heart interventions.
Dave Fornell has covered healthcare for more than 17 years, with a focus in cardiology and radiology. Fornell is a 5-time winner of a Jesse H. Neal Award, the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of specialized journalism. The wins included best technical content, best use of social media and best COVID-19 coverage. Fornell was also a three-time Neal finalist for best range of work by a single author. He produces more than 100 editorial videos each year, most of them interviews with key opinion leaders in medicine. He also writes technical articles, covers key trends, conducts video hospital site visits, and is very involved with social media. E-mail: dfornell@innovatehealthcare.com