‘A huge win’: CMS significantly increases Medicare payments for cardiac CT

CMS has more than doubled the CCTA payment rate from $175 to $357.13. The move, expected to have a significant impact on the utilization of cardiac CT, received immediate praise from imaging specialists.

Medicare money payment reimbursement dollar decline george washington

CMS makes 2025 Medicare cuts official—and doctors are not happy

CMS has published its final rule for the 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, and it includes significant payment cuts. Cardiology groups have been working hard to stop these changes from going into effect since they were first proposed in July.

The entrance to the AHA expo and technology floor. #AHA22

American Heart Association announces late-breaking research for Scientific Sessions 2024

The three-day conference begins Saturday, Nov. 16, in Chicago. Topics will include AI, heart failure, patient management and much more. 

Using advanced artificial intelligence (AI) platforms to assess imaging results and quantify coronary plaque buildup can help clinicians predict adverse events in patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD), according to late-breaking data presented at TCT 2024 in Washington, D.C.

AI-enabled plaque assessments help cardiologists ID high-risk CAD patients

AI-enabled coronary plaque assessments deliver significant value, according to late-breaking data presented at TCT. These AI platforms have gained considerable momentum in recent months, receiving expanded Medicare coverage in addition to a new Category I CPT code.

Video with JACC Editor Harlan Krumholtz offering an overview of key tricuspid and TAVR late-breakers at TCT24.

Progress in tricuspid valve care and TAVR on full display at TCT 2024

Harlan Krumholz, MD, editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, said tricuspid valve treatments are a popular topic among cardiologists right now. TAVR research, meanwhile, remains as important as ever.

Boston Scientific ACURATE neo2 aortic valve system self-expanding TAVR valve

Boston Scientific TAVR valve comes up short in comparison with Medtronic, Edwards devices

The Acurate neo2 TAVR valve has been used to treat severe aortic stenosis in other parts of the world for years. In the United States, however, the device has still not been approved for commercial use.  

TTVR with Evoque device linked to substantial benefits after 1 year

New late-breaking data presented at TCT confirmed that the first FDA-approved TTVR system for TR is associated with a much better quality of life than medical therapy alone after one year.

Didier Tchetche, MD, an interventional cardiologist and head of the structural heart disease program at Clinique Pasteur in Toulouse, France, and colleagues combined data from the RHEIA and PARTNER 3 trials into a single comparison of TAVR outcomes in female patients.

TAVR linked to better outcomes than surgery for women, pooled analysis confirms

New research presented at TCT combined data from the RHEIA and PARTNER 3 trials. “TAVR is a good option, and probably the best one, for an elderly woman," cardiologist Anna Sonia Petronio, MD, explained during the conference. 

Around the web

Ron Blankstein, MD, professor of radiology, Harvard Medical School, explains the use of artificial intelligence to detect heart disease in non-cardiac CT exams.

Eleven medical societies have signed on to a consensus statement aimed at standardizing imaging for suspected cardiovascular infections.

Trimed Popup
Trimed Popup