Cardiologists urge Congress to pass new bills focused on PAD, Medicare coverage
The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) is using American Heart Month as an opportunity to highlight two of its most significant concerns with the U.S. healthcare system. One of those concerns is the high number of patients who still lose limbs to peripheral artery disease (PAD) on a daily basis. The other concern, meanwhile, has to do with how long it takes for state-of-the-art medical technologies to get into the hands of interventional cardiologists.
SCAI is the country’s largest medical society focused on interventional cardiology, representing more than 5,000 physicians who perform more than 900,000 percutaneous coronary interventions every year. The group maintains an active role at both the state and federal levels, communicating with policymakers and advocating for changes that can impact patient care.
SCAI is now pushing for Congress to pass two pieces of legislation—the Amputation Reduction and Compassion (ARC) Act (HR 307) and the Ensuring Patient Access to Critical Breakthrough Products Act (HR 5343/S 1717)—that have already been introduced by lawmakers.
“PAD affects 10–20 million Americans, yet 70% of the public remains unaware of this condition,” wrote SCAI President Srihari S. Naidu, MD, an interventional cardiologist with Westchester Medical Center. “PAD occurs when narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to the limbs, increasing the risk of heart attack, stroke, amputation and death. The ARC Act addresses this crisis head-on by requiring Medicare and Medicaid to cover PAD screening tests—including ankle-brachial index testing and arterial duplex scans—for at-risk beneficiaries without cost-sharing. The legislation also establishes a national PAD awareness program through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.”
Naidu emphasized that the ARC Act is critical. Techniques and technologies exist that can help many of these patients, he wrote, but those interventions “are only effective if PAD is diagnosed before reaching critical stages.”
The Ensuring Patient Access to Breakthrough Products Act, meanwhile, is intended to help care tams gain access to tools that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designates as breakthrough devices. If passed, the bill would provide Medicare coverage for these devices for four years as more permanent policy decisions are finalized. This temporary coverage can be removed at any time, Naidu explained, if it turns out that the devices in question are causing harm or failing to make an impact.
“As the leading professional society dedicated to interventional cardiology, SCAI urges Congress to pass both the ARC Act and the Ensuring Patient Access to Critical Breakthrough Products Act,” Naidu wrote. “These complementary measures would create a continuum of care: from early screening that catches disease before it becomes critical, to rapid access to innovative treatments that can preserve function and save lives.”
Naidu concluded his call to action by saying interventional cardiologists already have the screening protocols, medical technologies and expertise to make a world of difference; the one thing they don’t have yet is a policy framework that will guarantee “all Americans can benefit.”
“This American Heart Month, let's commit to policies that match the pace of medical innovation with the urgency of patient need,” he wrote. “Patients deserve nothing less.”
Read the full SCAI statement here.
Michael has more than 19 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.