Patient Care

This page includes news coverage of various aspects of patient healthcare, including new technology innovations, what is working, what is not, personalized medicine and remote and telemedicine delivery. Find specific news in the areas of Care Delivery, Digital Transformation, Precision Medicine, Remote Monitoring and Telehealth.

ASNC and AMA push back against AI prior authorization denials
Suman Tandon, MD, a representative of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC), explains her organization's concerns about artificial intelligence being used to automatically deny prior authorizations and prevent patients from accessing care.
FDA declares class I recall on heart surgery procedure kits from Medline
The FDA recall for Medtronic includes 316,205 devices, of which 3,345 are included in the Medline Industries recall.
American College of Cardiology now supports early use of medication to treat obesity
The group highlighted the proven effectiveness of these drugs, especially semaglutide and tirzepatide, while noting that eligibility, affordability and availability will still play key roles in any treatment decisions.
AMA president warns prior authorization hurting patients, driving burnout and practice closures
American Medical Association President Bruce Scott, MD, explains the growing issues with insurance prior authorization impacting patient care and what the AMA is doing about it.
Dexcom recalls more than 2 million CGM receivers over safety issues—dozens of adverse events reported
There is an increased risk that these devices will not provide audible alerts for low or high blood glucose levels. The FDA has ruled that this is a Class I recall, highlighting the safety risks associated with missed alerts.

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Payment cuts and beyond: Key takeaways for cardiologists from the 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule

The American College of Cardiology has shared its perspective on new CMS payment policies, highlighting revenue concerns while providing key details for cardiologists and other cardiology professionals.

Concomitant ablation surgery during heart operations boosts long-term survival

Treating AFib with surgical ablation during mitral valve surgery and other common heart operations can help patients live longer, a new meta-analysis confirmed.

Sanjit Jolly, MD, says cholchicine failed to help heart attack patients in the CLEAR SYNERGY (OASIS 9) presented as a TCT 2024 late-breaker.

Cardiologist explores why colchicine failed to help heart attack patients

Sanjit S. Jolly, MD, MSc, reviewed his team's late-breaking data on treating heart attack patients with colchicine. "I think inflammation is an important area, but I don't think colchicine is the magic bullet," he said.

The Abbott Esprit BTK everolimus-eluting biosorbable scaffold system for below the knee peripheral artery disease on display at TCT 2024. Photo by Dave FornellTCTn 2024 DF

Bioresorbable BTK stent superior to ballon angioplasty at 2 years

Late-breaking data from the LIFE-BTK clinical trial showed that the Esprit BTK bioresorbable scaffold system offered better two-year outcomes than balloon angioplasty in severe peripheral artery disease (PAD) below the knee.

Most heart failure patients miss out on guideline-recommended palliative care

Palliative care is a recommended part of heart failure management in the U.S., but consultation rates remain low. The trend appears to impact Black patients more than other races and ethnicities.

Philippe Genereux, MD, explains the details of the EARLY TAVR trial, which compared early interventions vs. waiting in patients with asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis.

Cardiologist behind EARLY TAVR explains how proactive treatment improves patient outcomes

Philippe Genereux, MD, principal investigator of the EARLY TAVR trial, discussed how a proactive treatment strategy for patients with asymptomatic AS can lead to better outcomes and improvements in quality of life.

healthcare insurance fraud scam scheme legal lawsuit

Cardiologist loses medical license over years-long fraud scheme

The New Jersey doctor already admitted to collecting more than $1.9 million in false claims from 2017 to 2022. He is also under investigation for an unrelated charge of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact due to an alleged incident with a patient.

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CMS makes 2025 Medicare cuts official—and doctors are not happy

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.

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Health Exec

Tom Price: Medical residency slots need to expand to combat physician shortages

Tom Price, MD, former secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), said one way to address the growing shortage of physicians is to expand medical resident positions, but these are tied to Medicare spending so alternative means may be needed.

Health Imaging

Tariffs will have a significant impact on the nuclear imaging supply chain in the US

"Domestic radiopharmaceutical suppliers, who receive isotopes from abroad, would be impacted by price changes and uncertainty caused by additional tariffs,” SNMMI President Cathy Cutler, PhD, wrote in a letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce this week.

Patient Care

ASNC and AMA push back against AI prior authorization denials

FDA declares class I recall on heart surgery procedure kits from Medline

American College of Cardiology now supports early use of medication to treat obesity

AMA president warns prior authorization hurting patients, driving burnout and practice closures

Dexcom recalls more than 2 million CGM receivers over safety issues—dozens of adverse events reported

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