To help ensure that performance measuresthe current standard for measuring qualitykeep pace with the evolving science of quality improvement, a guidance document outlining new insights into the methodology for the development and use of performance measures in cardiac care will be published in the Nov. 16 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The first human gastric examination using video capsule endoscopy was completed by researchers in France, who discovered several findings missed by subsequent gastroscopy, with the results published in the July edition of Endoscopy.

In response to a letter from the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) regarding the FDA's proposal to withdraw approval of the hypotension drug midodrine hydrochloride, the agency said there will be a public hearing for the drug manufacturer to present evidence of the medication's clinical benefit. The date has not been announced.

Patient monitoring technology is evolving to enhance immediacy, accuracy and ease of access with an added dimension of intelligenceto predict, monitor and analyze patient events over timeand flexibilityto monitor patients from other areas in the unit and even the patients home.

Medicare payment plans do not sufficiently reimburse insurers for high medication use among its beneficiaries. This led to plans avoiding or dropping the Medicare population who receive low-income subsidies; however, fine-tuning the risk-adjustment approach and monitoring the incentives of Part D could help mitigate this problem, according to a study published online Oct. 28 in Health Affairs.

More than two-thirds of practices said they would limit the number of new Medicare patients they accept unless Congress halts upcoming Medicare reimbursement cuts, according to a survey by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), released this week at its annual meeting in New Orleans.

The Ernst Cardiovascular Center, a 4,537 square-foot hub offering clinics for heart valve disease, atrial fibrillation and cardiovascular screening, has opened at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich.

When operating room personnel participated in a medical team training program, rates of surgical mortality declined, according to a study published in the Oct. 20 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association.