DuPage Medical Group of Naperville, Ill., a multispecialty physician practice, acquired Cardiovascular Consultants, also of Naperville.

A hospital in Kentucky agreed to pay $16.5 million to settle claims that cardiologists improperly implanted cardiac devices and performed procedures on Medicare and Medicaid patients.

When it comes to transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), a rising tide lifts all ships, although not equally. Volumes for TAVR and surgical aortic valve replacement spiked in 2012 in the U.S., with TAVR centers reaping the largest gains, according to a study presented Jan. 27 at the annual meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

Many patients with cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) that are ultimately deactivated may not make advanced planning for their devices to be turned off at the end of life. A study published in the January issue of JAMA Internal Medicine found that only one patient out of 150 whose ICDs were deactivated addressed the device in advance directives. 

Physicians should manage comorbidities in older long-term breast cancer survivors and their cancer-free counterparts the same, according to a study published in the January issue of the American Journal of Managed Care. The results showed the risk of cardiovascular disease was similar in both groups.

Twice-yearly doctor visits to manage hypertension may be too frequent an interval that is not supported by scientific evidence and also not cost-effective, according to an analysis published in the January issue of The American Journal of Managed Care.

Is the cardiac device you use in everyday practice the same as the technology approved by the FDA? That is one of several safety questions raised this week.

Adverse events among patients hospitalized with acute MI and congestive heart failure (CHF) significantly decreased between 2005 and 2011, a study published online Jan. 23 in The New England Journal of Medicine found. The trend was very different, however, among patients admitted for pneumonia and other conditions that required surgery.