The New York Times editorial writers favored swift passage of a bipartisan bill that fixes the sustainable growth rate (SGR) problem that has vexed doctors for years. They also chastised the Senate for postponing action until their return from recess on April 13, leaving “an irresponsible short time to consider such important legislation.”

The introduction of injectable PCSK9 enzyme inhibitors to manage cholesterol—and the sticker shock the drug’s price will bring to consumers—might be the impetus for the healthcare system to develop consensus about the pricing of specialty medications.

The New York Times Upshot section considers “heart doctors as a great example” of the consequences of the shift from private to employed practice: higher fees because of Medicare’s funding system. The current budget proposal attempts to eliminate that gap, according to the article.

While the perpetual patching of the sustainable growth rate formula remains a thorn in physicians’ side, the Upshot section of the New York Times argues it has forced lawmakers to look for savings within the Medicare budget. That maneuvering has helped keep costs down, which was the intention of the flawed legislation. 

While the average salary for a cardiologist is $436,849, pay for an individual practitioner is all over the map, literally. The Atlantic paired up with Doximity, a social network for physicians, to highlight a tool that shows salary by specialty and county.

Peripheral interventions by the cardiologist who captured headlines for billing Medicare $18 million are now under scrutiny, which prompted the New York Times to investigate the upsurge in peripheral stenting.

Drug makers Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer spent almost $8 million to promote the novel oral anticoagulant Eliquis to physicians, according to an analysis by ProPublica of the Open Payments database. Eliquis, or apixaban, was the second highest drug on the spending list, with AstraZeneca’s Brilinta (ticagrelor) placing third.

New data presented today at the American Heart Association (AHA) 2014 Scientific Sessions showed once-daily XARELTO® (rivaroxaban) is associated with significantly fewer hospitalization days and outpatient visits compared to warfarin in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Corresponding hospitalization and outpatient healthcare costs were also significantly lower for XARELTO® compared to warfarin in NVAF patients, according to longitudinal, real-world findings from this observational study.