Welcome to the South Carolina Chapter ACC website. Our vision statement is "To improve the health and well being of South Carolinians through the support of cardiovascular specialists." Use the navigation buttons on the left to access our website. Please feel free to e-mail us if you have any questions or comments. Take Action to Stop the SGR Cuts The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction failed to agree on a proposal to address the nation’s deficit. As a result, the sustainability of the Medicare system and seniors’ access to quality health care is again threatened by the sustainable growth rate (SGR). Without further action from Congress, Medicare physician payment will be cut 27.4% on January 1, 2012. Congress has intervened numerous times in recent years to prevent scheduled SGR cuts from taking place. Past delays as short as one month have contributed to practice instability and decreased access to care. The continued reliance on short-term patches rather than a long-term solution significantly increases the cost of permanently repealing the SGR. We need to let them know that putting another Band-Aid on this problem is no longer a viable solution and will negatively affect beneficiaries’ access to care and the national deficit. In addition to pending SGR cuts, ACC members must be aware that further payment cuts and prior authorization for imaging services were discussed during deficit committee negotiations and could be used to pay for any Medicare bill. Tell your lawmaker that further payment reductions for imaging services cannot be absorbed by physician practices without impacting access to high quality care. Let them know that prior authorization would impose a significant burden on the Medicare program, increase physicians’ practice costs, and lead to delay or denial of medically necessary care. Urge them to instead support policies that promote the quality and appropriateness of diagnostic imaging services provided to Medicare beneficiaries. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to advocating for the profession and for the patients who rely on you. The unending need to remind Congress to fix the Medicare payment mess is frustrating, but it is essential for cardiology and all of medicine to keep up the pressure. Call the AMA Grassroots Hotline at (800)-833-6354 and urge your Representative and Senators to protect Medicare beneficiaries’ access to care by enacting a long-term solution to the SGR and opposing further payment cuts to medical imaging. If you would like to send your Representative or Senators a letter, please click here. January Deadlines Quickly Approaching As of Jan 1, 2012, suppliers who furnish the technical component of Advanced Diagnostic Imaging (ADI) must be accredited in order to bill Medicare for these services. For dates of service on or after Jan. 1, MACs will begin denying claims by non- accredited suppliers. More information about Accreditation process, including a list of accrediting organizations and details of the accreditation process, is available on the CMS website and on www.cardiosource.org. Also, as of Jan. 2012, providers must be transitioned to Version 5010. There are certain steps that providers should be taking this fall to ensure a smooth transition. Specifically, providers should be continuing with external testing and making any system revisions. Daily transactions, such as claims and eligibility determinations, should be undergoing testing as well. More information on the transition is available on the CMS website and on www.cardiosource.org Welcome New Councilors The following members were appointed to the Chapter Council last spring to fill old and more recent vacanies: Mike S. Emery, MD, FACC Carolina Cardiology Consultants, Greenville Medical Education: Indiana University School of Medicine Residency: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Fellowship: Krannert Institute of Cardiology, Indiana University School of Medicine Boards: Cardiovascular Disease, Internal Medicine, Nuclear Cardiology   Evans P. Holland, MD, FACC Pee Dee Cardiology Associates, Florence Medical Education: Medical University of South Carolina Residency: Medical College of Virginia, Richmond Fellowship: University Medical Center at the University of Florida, Jacksonville Boards: Cardiovascular Disease, Interventional Cardiology Gopi Y. Shah, MD, FACC Columbia Heart Clinic, Florence Medical Education:  University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia Residency: Palmetto Health Richland/University of South Carolina, Columbia Fellowship: Palmetto Health Richland/University of South Carolina, Columbia; Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia Boards: Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease, Interventional Cardiology Peter L. Zwerner, MD, FACC Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston Medical Education:  George Washington University School of Medicine Residency: University of Massachusetts Medical Center Fellowship: University of Massachusetts Medical Center Boards: Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease Joining the Council in March 2012, are: Larry E. Kibler, MD, FACC Cardiology Consultants, Spartanburg Medical Education: Medical University of South Carolina Residency: Medical University of South Carolina Fellowship: Medical University of South Carolina Boards: Cardiovascular Disease, Internal Medicine Scott Woodfield, MD, FACC Lowcountry Cardiology Associates, Charleston Medical Education: Albany Medical College Residency: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Fellowships: The George Washington University (Cardiovascular Diseases), The Arizona Heart Institute & Columbia Medical Center (Cardiovascular Interventions) Boards: Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease, Interventional Cardiology     STAY UP TO DATE WITH ACC ADVOCACY Please take advantage of the opportunities provided by the ACC's CardioAdvocacy Network (CAN) and the ACC Political Action Committee (PAC) to stay up-to-date on legislative issues and to influence congressional leaders. You can also follow ACC Advocacy on Twitter (@Cardiology) or share your thoughts on health reform at the ACC's online forum, "The Lewin Report." One Stop Shopping for all links advocacy and legislative: www.acc.org/can . CardioSmart is a patient education site of the American College of Cardiology. CardioSmart's mission is to engage, inform, and empower patients to better prepare them for participation in their own care. They are committed to providing visitors to their site with accurate, un-biased information in an advertising-free environment.   Contact us: SC Chapter ACC 134 Collin Campbell Beaufort, SC 29906 Tel: 843-252-4709 Email: info@sccacc.org