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.

Hospitals’ exchange of electronic health information to providers outside their organizations increased by 41 percent between 2008 and 2012, federal researchers report in the August issue of Health Affairs. But the sharing of clinical care summaries and medication lists is lagging.

Emphasizing the importance of establishing routine objective, external reviews of cardiac cath lab (CCL) processes, Ralph G. Brindis, MD, MPH, MACC, FSCAI, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine & the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California, San Francisco, Senior Medical Officer, External Affairs, ACC National Cardiovascular Data Registry, Past President, American College of Cardiology, challenged participants during the 2013 Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) Scientific Sessions in Orlando, FL by asking: "How do you know that your CCL practices are okay?"