Dr. Zielske and Sara will address recent changes in CPT and ICD-10 coding for heart assist systems and Impella devices. Learn from their deep insight into coding for cardiac devices and the key changes hospitals need to be aware of to gain full reimbursement for complex procedures in the cardiac cath lab. Get the latest on just-implemented code changes as of April 1, 2018. To get paid properly, you must code exactly. We’ll tell you how.

Ms. Leon-Chisen will address the FY2018 changes for heart assist systems and Impella devices. Learn from her deep insight into coding for cardiac devices and the key changes hospitals need to be aware of as well as the most effective ways to get your top coding questions answered.

Diagnosing and treating patients well starts with choosing the most precise test. Cardiac PET imaging is the test of choice more often these days when it comes to assessing coronary artery disease, myocardial perfusion, viability and ventricular function in more complex patients. It makes sense clinically, operationally and financially. It also trumps SPECT in many ways, and can even play a role in cardiac disease prevention.

The 2013 merger between Edward Hospital & Health Services and Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare created one of the largest health systems in Illinois. As is often the case with this type of amalgamation, executives of the newly named Edward-Elmhurst Health faced numerous integration challenges and had to determine the best way to maximize each organization’s strengths. Thankfully, one thing that required little effort was deciding on a cardiology system.

The vision was clear. The experienced heart and vascular team at the Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute in Chicago needed a cardiovascular information system (CVIS) to stretch across its seven hospitals and 100 ambulatory care centers, physician offices and clinics. Like an architect constructing a solid foundation, they brought in a unified IT infrastructure to support enterprise-wide image reading, viewing, smart structured reporting and drive better quality, outcomes and efficiency. For this leading-edge health network, syngo Dynamics (Siemens) emerged as the enterprise-wide solution of choice for exchanging key patient images and data with the EMR, enabling near-instant, secure, HIPAA-enabled access to clinicians onsite and remote and ensuring interoperability across the enterprise.

Tectonic shifts in healthcare delivery demand a broad collective skillset measured out among cardiologists, nurses, cardiology service line directors and practice administrators. Priorities need to focus on training and outreach from clinical, operational and financial perspectives as well as strengthening the heart team. Prairie Heart and Vascular Institute in Springfield, Ill., is part of one health system that is leading the way. Working from a mission and vision combining patient care with provider education—similar to the model in place at large academic medical centers—the practice is a judicious yet eager adopter of leading-edge technologies such as Abiomed’s Impella 2.5 heart pump, the smallest and least invasive percutaneous ventricular support blood pump. Care and caregiver collaboration is a constant. In short, Prairie daily demonstrates best practices that many other heart teams would do well to emulate.

Priorities need to focus on training and outreach from clinical, operational and financial perspectives as well as strengthening the heart team --;Prairie Heart and Vascular Institute in Springfield, Ill., is leading the way.

With the rollout of the Affordable Care Act and changes to reimbursements, Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta, GA, recognizes it’s a critical time to control expenses.

Soon, payers will reward cost-effective, high-quality procedures, while both healthcare providers and patients increasingly will demand efficient, diagnostically accurate nuclear cardiology procedures with low radiation exposure.

At Brigham and Women’s Hospital, like many hospitals and medical centers across the country, cardiac PET is emerging as the go-to imaging modality for a growing list of clinical scenarios.