CMS has more than doubled the CCTA payment rate from $175 to $357.13. The move, expected to have a significant impact on the utilization of cardiac CT, received immediate praise from imaging specialists.

CMS has published its final rule for the 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, and it includes significant payment cuts. Cardiology groups have been working hard to stop these changes from going into effect since they were first proposed in July.

The newly cleared offering, AutoChamber, was designed with opportunistic screening in mind. It can evaluate many different kinds of CT images, including those originally gathered to screen patients for lung cancer. 

The three-day conference begins Saturday, Nov. 16, in Chicago. Topics will include AI, heart failure, patient management and much more. 

Sitting too long can be bad for the heart, but standing desks do not appear to make a difference.