In this month of trick or treating, we are reminded that cardiology practices and departments are continually searching for tricks to maintain or bolster their treats. While the slumping economy has been challenging, there are further challenges of EHR implementation and ICD-10 coding conversion deadlines.

The intersection of a growing elderly population, the high rate of uninsured Americans, a weakened economy, healthcare reform and ongoing cuts to Medicare reimbursement has created a perfect storm that is testing the limits of the U.S. healthcare system and, specifically, independent physician practice models.

The clinical research that emerged from last weeks Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) symposium validated the words of early 20th Century journalist Claude M. Bristol and the clinical practice of contemporary interventional cardiologists. The biggest message from TCT 2010 might be that interventionalists are taking the proper steps and using the proper tools to treat their patients and stock their inventory shelves. The conference also revealed some exciting new technologies that may soon be appearing at a cath lab near you.

WASHINGTON, D.C.Executing and recruiting clinical research trials at hospitals are linked to thousands of unrecovered costs, and facilities must modify practices to ensure self-sustainability, said Rudi Odeh-Ramadan, Pharm D, of the Clinical Trials Office, Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, during a presentation Sept. 24 at the 22nd annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific meeting.

WASHINGTON, D.C.Transfemoral aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a very cost-effective treatment option for aortic stenosis in elderly populations, based on a decision tree analysis presented Sept. 23 at the 22nd annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) conference.

Adding an exercise regime, diet counseling and group meetings as a lifestyle intervention to the lives of adults at moderate or high risk for heart disease is cost-effective and can improve quality of life better than standard care methods, according to the results of a report published in the Sept. 13 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Current screening recommendations for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) fail to target some people, including women and nonsmokers, in which a large number of ruptures and deaths occur, according to a study published in the September issue of the Journal of Vascular Surgery. Use of a new high-yield screening algorithm can expand the target population for screening and help to increase the detection of AAAs, senior study author Giampaolo Greco, PhD, told Cardiovascular Business News.

Raleigh Cardiology Associates (RCA) and WakeMed Health & Hospitals, based in Raleigh, N.C., have signed an agreement that brings in RCA as part of WakeMeds hospital-based physician practice, known as WakeMed Faculty Physicians. This agreement, which becomes effective Oct. 1, aligns RCA more closely with WakeMeds Heart & Vascular program.