Alaska Chapter of the American College of Cardiology

Latest in Cardiology from ACC.org

• 2026 Hospital OPPS Proposed Rule Released; CMS Proposes Adding Ablation to ASC Setting
  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the 2026 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System proposed rule on July 15, proposing a 2.4% increase to OPPS payment rates that reflects a market basket update of 3.2% reduced by a productivity adjustment of 0.8%.
• CV Procedures Shifting Into Outpatient Facilities: Key Considerations
  The rising number of cardiovascular procedures moving to non–hospital-based outpatient facilities, such as ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and office-based laboratories (OBLs), and its likely impact on quality, outcomes and access to care, is the topic of a Special Communication article published July 7 in JACC .
• CMS Reduces LAAO Value in Proposed 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule
  The proposed 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) includes a proposal to reduce the physician work relative value unit (RVU) for performing a left atrial appendage closure procedure (LAAO) from 14.00 to 10.25, further lowered to 9.99 when accounting for a proposed efficiency adjustment reduction.
• Scam Alert: Fraudulent Letters and Calls Impersonating DEA Personnel
  The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is warning medical professionals of fraudulent letters and calls where scammers pose as DEA personnel and falsely claim individuals are under investigation to obtain personal or sensitive information.
• FDA Update: Finerenone Approved to Treat HF Patients With LVEF ≥40%
  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved finerenone to treat patients with heart failure (HF) with LVEF ≥40%.