A proposed bipartisan bill would expand the use of telemedicine and provide reimbursement for remote management of Medicare patients with congestive heart failure and other chronic conditions.

Kaiser Permanente and Johns Hopkins Medicine today announced plans to strengthen the successful collaboration between the two health care organizations. With the new agreement, Kaiser Permanente and Johns Hopkins Medicine will expand ways to deliver quality care by sharing evidence-based best practices, advancing population health programs, collaborating on education and research endeavors, and exploring how the organizations can work together to create better health care models for consumers and their communities.

Employees who work in service and blue-collar industries were more likely to report a history of coronary heart disease or stroke in an analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The results may help clinicians identify at-risk patients and develop prevention strategies.

Sometimes we have to remember to stop and celebrate the accomplishments achieved in cardiovascular care. This week offers examples of better quality and value in healthcare.

What we don’t see about cybersecurity can hurt us in more ways than just our wallet. While retail cybersecurity may be the more visible cybercrime, more attention should be paid to the risks to healthcare data, according to a perspective piece published in the July 31 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Low-dose hormone therapy in early menopausal women already at low risk for cardiovascular disease did not significantly affect carotid artery intima-media thickness or coronary artery calcium, according to a study published online July 29 in Annals of Internal Medicine.

MidMichigan Health has recently implemented a new structure of Service Lines for Cardiovascular, Oncology and Musculoskeletal Services throughout MidMichigan. Three Service Line directors have been named to lead these services. They are Sunita Vadakath, M.D., F.R.C.A., M.P.A., Cardiovascular Services; Joan Herbert, Pharm.D., Oncology Services; and Ann Dull, P.T., M.B.A., D.P.T., Musculoskeletal Services.

The Detroit Medical Center will open its new Heart Hospital on August 4. The $78 million, state-of-the-art facility will offer patients comprehensive cardiovascular care, including a wide range of the latest minimally invasive treatment options and preventive services. The heart hospital expands DMC's role as a leading provider of cardiovascular care in the region and furthers its commitment to the people of Detroit, where heart disease is the leading cause of death.