Savecardiacpet.com is proud to announce its advocacy campaign to help stop the reimbursement cuts for cardiac PET imaging. Cardiac PET has been an important part of healthcare as the exam yields higher quality images with greater efficiency and significantly less radiation than traditional imaging techniques.
There is a proposal through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that recommends a change to the 2020 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) that would reduce reimbursement for cardiac PET imaging procedures by up to 80%. If this happens as planned, research shows it will affect over 70% of cardiac patients nationwide whose only access to cardiac PET is in the outpatient environment.
Savecardiacpet.com is championing a campaign to request that CMS not move forward with the cuts by making it possible for anyone to comment on this important issue. To learn more, please visit savecardiacpet.com.
The main purpose and desire of savecardiacpet.com is to ensure that patients continue to get access to cardiac PET imaging, which is the most effective way to diagnose possible cardiac disorders in certain patients.
CMS has recommended changes to the 2020 MPFS after receiving flawed input survey data which they relied upon to calculate future reimbursement. This future 80% reduction in reimbursement will be enough for cardiac PET to become unsustainable and subsequently affect patient care nationwide. The survey data was riddled with inaccurate overhead data, a lack of thorough survey inputs, non-"real world" assumptions, and failure to assess the true cost of starting, operating, and maintaining a cardiac PET lab, omitting input allowances for numerous high-cost requirements.
Cardiac PET has helped patients and the government save significant downstream healthcare dollars, especially for patients being evaluated for suspected coronary artery disease. Cardiac PET results in a 50% reduction in the use of coronary arteriography and coronary artery bypass grafting and a 30% reduction in direct patient management costs while maintaining excellent patient outcomes and minimizing indirect costs.
Please visit www.savecardiacpet.com and complete Step One or Step Two (depending on your state) to send your message today to prevent these dramatic changes. Comments must be submitted by Friday, September 27, 2019.
Through the website and this advocacy, savecardiacpet.com hopes to send a message to CMS NOT to commence with the proposed reimbursement cuts in 2020 and instead allow reimbursement to continue at a sustainable level consistent with current levels.
The platform is created for anyone to conveniently take action and then spread the word. Using the features on the site, US residents can contact their local and federal representatives and Medicare. They can also send a personalized letter to a mailing address for CMS or contact their offices by phone.
Over 8,000 support messages have been sent through this advocacy channel, but it’s not enough. More people need to participate as there is power in numbers. Using the online platform to send a message is free, easy, and quick. For more information, please visit www.savecardiacpet.com
