ACE is proud to be invited as a guest speaker at the 10th annual Complex Cardiovascular Catheter Therapeutics: Advanced Endovascular and Coronary Intervention Global Summit (C3), taking place June 23-27, 2014 at the Hilton Bonnet Creek, Orlando, Florida. Sheree Schroeder, MSN, RN, RDCS, FASE,  ACE's Director of Quality Review Services , will be speaking on the topic "No Margin, No Mission" A Team Based Approach for Billing.

This timely topic addresses a subject making headlines in the interventional cardiology community. Sheree will describe the impact and root cause of cardiac cath lab RAC audits and will outline methods and best practices for documentation to support improved billing processes. These practices are supported by findings in a 2013 study presented at SCAI, The Effect of ACE Catheterization Laboratory Accreditation on Hospital NCDR CathPCI Reports. In this study, it was determined that, as a result of improved documentation at ACE accredited facilities, selected metrics in clinical records were more likely to show that angioplasty and stenting patients at these institutions met high-risk criteria, as determined by increased medication use, a greater number of high risk stress tests and the ability to evaluate a greater number of patients by appropriate use criteria (AUC).

"I am encouraged by data generated from cath labs that are accredited by ACE, helping to swing the pendulum toward better documentation and improved patient care that is driven by clinical guidelines and appropriate use criteria," said Bonnie H. Weiner, M.D., FSCAI, and CMO for ACE. "Improved documentation supports good billing practices that may help avoid the financial impact of delayed reimbursement or audits."