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New Practice Management and Quality Care section in Cardiology Today to focus on quality, policy developments
The pace of change in the daily practice of cardiology continues to accelerate. Today’s practitioner must not only stay abreast of many new diagnostic and treatment options but must also contend with enormous economic and political pressures which are fundamentally changing the nature of clinical medicine.
Contributors to the new Practice Management and Quality Care section in Cardiology Today will address issues of quality: its definition, how to measure it, how to improve it and how to receive equitable payment for delivering it. We will review new and continuing initiatives by government and private payers to control medical costs, including plans to pay-for-reporting, pay-for-performance, and pay-for-evidence, as well as progress in developing better evidence of efficacy and assessment of comparative effectiveness, all complex issues of vital importance to the everyday practice of medicine.
We will cover the alphabet soup of organizations which are determining the future of medicine, such as Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, FDA, National Committee for Quality Assurance, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) and many others, including insurance companies and employers.
Our panel of experts will communicate the latest policy developments of the American College of Cardiology, various cardiology subspecialty organizations and other contributors to the development of clinical guidelines and appropriateness standards, and health policy in general. We will address the need for widespread participation in registries and databases such as the National Cardiovascular Data Registry and Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Database, including practical, cost effective implementation of electronic health records. Finally, we will cover workforce challenges, shifting practice patterns, credentialing and accreditation issues and the continuing reduction in physician incomes.
Samuel Wann, MD, is Chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Wisconsin Heart Hospital and Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Wisconsin Madison and Medical College of Wisconsin Milwaukee. His is editor of the Practice Management & Quality Care section.