Better continuity of care among older adults with chronic diseases may ultimately be less costly and lead to fewer hospitalizations, emergency department visits and complications, based on the findings of a study published online March 17 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Economic evaluations of stroke imaging modalities are generally of high quality, but shortcomings may lead to inaccurate results, according to a review published in the March issue of Stroke.

We don’t want the people in charge of making healthcare policy decisions and laws to work in a vacuum. Neither do we want them to be marionettes being manipulated by special interests. How to balance the two?

In an era of generic statins, the cost-effectiveness of coronary artery calcium (CAC) scans in patients at risk of coronary heart disease may come down to preference. An analysis published online March 11 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes found no advantage in scenarios where statins were inexpensive and considered easy to use.

The sustainable growth rate formula has served as a reminder that physicians or their representatives need to be involved in the shaping of legislation that affects reimbursement and patient care. To be effective, cardiology’s advocates must choreograph and execute a delicate dance between persuasion, politics and what could be seen as self-interest.  

Twenty-five. That is how many days remain before the patch on the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula becomes unglued if Congress fails to approve a repeal.

Medical costs were 22 percent higher for overweight patients who presented at an emergency department with chest complaints compared with normal weight patients, and 41 percent higher for morbidly obese patients, researchers reported online March 4 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. The findings also hinted at possible unnecessary imaging in the morbidly obese.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that a proposed bill to repeal the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula and adjust Medicare payments to providers would increase spending by about $60 billion between 2014 and 2019 if enacted. Between 2014 and 2024, that amount would increase to $138 billion.