The American Heart Association (AHA) unveiled its lineup of 2013 late-breaking clinical trials to be presented Nov. 17-19 at its scientific sessions in Dallas. The program also will include 19 special reports.

Nurses caring for acutely or critically ill cardiovascular patients can take heart: The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) offers online educational support for cardiac nurses interested in deepening their expertise and acquiring subspecialty certification.

The University of Kentucky settled open records litigation that involved its suspended pediatric cardiothoracic program.

The Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Center of the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, directed by Dr. Barry J. Maron, will host the fifth international summit on HCM: A Contemporary Treatable Disease on Sept. 27-29 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Minneapolis, Minn.

A few weeks ago, a House subcommittee advanced a draft proposal to repeal the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula. “No more kicking the can,” became the tag line for the effort. How about no more delays?

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the final rule covering inpatient hospital services for the 2014 fiscal year, which starts on Oct. 1, 2013. This wide-ranging rule covers many areas, including those that may be relevant for cardiovascular professionals.

Are you ready to transition to ICD-10 on Oct. 1, 2014? Join the American College of Cardiology on Sept. 17 at 12 p.m. ET for a presentation on ICD-10-CM basics tailored to cardiology.

There potentially could be ulterior motives behind the changing of disease definitions, a study published in the August 2013 issue of PLOS Medicine found. When diagnostic criteria were expanded for some conditions, most members of the decision-making panels had financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry and none of the panels reported thoroughly assessing the potential consequences of the broadened disease definitions.