STOP Stroke Act

CPR Trained Personnel in Schools

AHA Applauds Congress, CMS for Addressing Chronic Care Management in Medicare

STOP Stroke Act

In June, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the Stroke Treatment and Ongoing Prevention (STOP Stroke) Act, legislation designed to dramatically improve our nation's stroke care and help educate the public.  (7/04)

Maine Legislature Passes a Resolution about Access to CPR Trained Personnel in Schools

In March, the Maine Legislature gave final approval to a Joint Resolution:  An Act to Ensure that Emergency Medical Help is Available to All School Children and Personnel.  The bill's preamble states that "the Legislature recognizes that the health and safety of students in our schools is a preeminent concern of school officials and educational personnel across the State;"  and that "having a medical emergency response plan in place to effectively respond to inevitable medical emergencies resulting from sudden cardiac events is both prudent and necessary for our schools."  The amendment also proposed that the Department of Education submit a report, including findings and recommended legislation, by November 3, 2004 to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education matters during the First Regular Session of the 122nd Legislature. (7/04)

AHA Applauds Congress

The American Heart Association told the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health that Medicare's new Chronic Care Improvement Program (CCIP) could help transition Medicare into a more responsive and comprehensive health care program for America's seniors.  CCIP was included in the Medicare Modernization Act, which was signed into law late last year.  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is searching for an organization to administer the demonstration project.  

True success will depend on the extent to which the program recognizes and promotes practices that provide value to the patient -- improved outcomes, strategies to manage complex co-morbidities, the translation of evidence-based research into practice, the institution of measures to promote primary and secondary disease prevention, and effective beneficiary outreach so that beneficiaries can understand the program's benefits.

The American Heart Association's Expert Panel on Disease Management established a set of principles on disease management and chronic care management based on extensive research that will soon be published.  The Association recommended that CMS follow these guiding principles for the implementation of the CCIP to ensure improved patient outcomes for Medicare beneficiaries.  Chronic care management programs should emphasize beneficiary outreach and education.  Also CCIP programs should not replace the physician-patient relationship, but enhance it.  It was suggested that CMS reject any proposals that attempt to supplant the care provided by a patient's provider of choice.

Beneficiaries should know that this new program will not force them to give up their doctor or reduce their current benefits in any way.  Instead, this pilot program should help coordinate what often times is the fragmented health care system through which beneficiaries receive care.  However, if the program becomes overly focused on expenditure, much of the value to patients may be lost.  For more information, go to www.americanheart.org.