Health Care Reform: Will It Restrict Your Access to Cardiac Services?

Cardiologists welcome health care reform that puts patients first by ensuring that cardiologists have access to the tools they need to diagnose and treat heart disease. Imaging tools such as nuclear, echo and CT/PET are as necessary as the stethoscope in providing information critical to diagnosing a patient’s illness and course of treatment.

It is important for a patient to have ready access to such equipment and it’s equally important for the cardiologist—the doctor who knows the patient best—to perform the test, maintain quality controls and interpret the results.

In addition, many cardiologists have added this lifesaving equipment to their offices in order to provide patients with quick and easy access to the latest technology together with fast and accurate diagnosis. In-office imaging has lower out-of-pocket costs for patients and saves the health care system money too, as in-office procedures cost less than those performed in a hospital setting.

But amendments to health care reform proposals would limit a physician’s ability to use in-office imaging equipment. Some patients would be forced to travel elsewhere for imaging services. Rural patients would be hit hardest as they would have to travel great distances to receive care. And it would place yet another person between the patient and the physician who knows the patient best.

Another amendment would limit cardiologists’ ability to provide cutting-edge heart care at physician-owned facilities. Physician-owned specialty hospitals often are on the leading edge of medical treatment, and they are highly rated for producing best-in-class results. Cardiac hospitals are more efficient and patient-friendly, and physicians who have invested in these facilities have a greater interest in their success. Physician-owned hospitals demonstrate that high-quality, lower-cost care can be achieved when doctors are allowed to make administrative decisions and when staff can provide cardiac-specific attention to patients. If these hospitals are prevented from growing to meet the needs of their communities, patient access will be limited and competition, a cornerstone of American democracy, will be stifled.

Cardiologists are eager for health care structural reforms and are glad Congress is considering changes to this critical aspect of health care. But rather than implementing new structures, such as accountable care organizations, or using capitation, payment bundling and other methods, cardiologists urge Congress to pilot the different models first. Pilot projects will help determine which models provide the best quality of patient care while ensuring access, providing sustainable reimbursement and controlling overall costs. Armed with this data, America can make the right choices to change the health care system in a way that puts the patient first.