American Society Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC)

The American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) is the international leader in education, government policy advocacy, guidelines and quality in cardiovascular nuclear imaging. Cardiac SPECT remains the workhorse molecular imaging modality for myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI), but cardiac PET is gaining ground because of its advantages in much shorter exam times and the ability to offer additional information the function of the heart.

ASNC says PET is now the preferred nuclear imaging test for CAD
Which imaging modality is better for evaluating heart patients, PET or SPECT? After years of discussions and debates, the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology is now ready to point to PET as the No. 1 choice. “There are no clinical scenarios or patient subgroups where cardiac PET with myocardial blood flow should be excluded," the group wrote.
FAPI PET shows promise to make a big impact in cardiovascular imaging
More and more imaging researchers are starting to examine the potential of using fibroblast activation protein inhibitors (FAPI) to manage patients with suspected cardiovascular disease.
Medicare Physician Fee Schedule cuts cardiologist pay because CMS says doctors should be more efficient
The new, negative 2.5% efficiency adjustment will be applied to the vast majority of Medicare payments for physician services. It was opposed by cardiology and most other medical societies.
Collaborations, guidelines and grants: ASNC shares big plans for 2026
American Society of Nuclear Cardiology President-elect Jamieson M. Bourque, MD, detailed just some of what the group has planned for 2026. For example, ASNC will be working on the development of multiple new guidelines designed to help clinicians provide high-quality care.
Nuclear cardiology expands beyond perfusion imaging as it enters a new era
Beyond amyloidosis, nuclear cardiology is also increasingly used to image inflammation and infection in the myocardium, especially in diseases such as cardiac sarcoidosis and myocarditis.

Imagers reviewing flurpiridaz F-18 (Flyrcado) myocardial perfusion PET images. Image from GE Healthcare

ASNC says PET is now the preferred nuclear imaging test for CAD

Which imaging modality is better for evaluating heart patients, PET or SPECT? After years of discussions and debates, the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology is now ready to point to PET as the No. 1 choice. “There are no clinical scenarios or patient subgroups where cardiac PET with myocardial blood flow should be excluded," the group wrote.

SNMMI Image of the Year 68Ga-FAPI-46 PET/CT heart attack acute myocardial infarction

FAPI PET shows promise to make a big impact in cardiovascular imaging

More and more imaging researchers are starting to examine the potential of using fibroblast activation protein inhibitors (FAPI) to manage patients with suspected cardiovascular disease.

Medicare physician fee schedule final rule 2026.

Medicare Physician Fee Schedule cuts cardiologist pay because CMS says doctors should be more efficient

The new, negative 2.5% efficiency adjustment will be applied to the vast majority of Medicare payments for physician services. It was opposed by cardiology and most other medical societies.

American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) President-elect Jamieson M. Bourque, MD, MHS, FASNC, medical director of nuclear cardiology, echocardiography, and the stress laboratory at UVA Health in Charlottesville, and a professor of medicine and radiology at the University of Virginia, explains some of the new things ASNC will be doing in 2026

Collaborations, guidelines and grants: ASNC shares big plans for 2026

American Society of Nuclear Cardiology President-elect Jamieson M. Bourque, MD, detailed just some of what the group has planned for 2026. For example, ASNC will be working on the development of multiple new guidelines designed to help clinicians provide high-quality care.

Nuclear cardiology is entering a new era—one that goes well beyond the traditional focus on myocardial perfusion imaging. According to Marcelo Di Carli, MD, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Nuclear Cardiology and chief of the Division of Nuclear Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the field is rapidly expanding into diagnosing and monitoring complex cardiac diseases such as amyloidosis, sarcoidosis, myocarditis, and cardiac infections.

Nuclear cardiology expands beyond perfusion imaging as it enters a new era

Beyond amyloidosis, nuclear cardiology is also increasingly used to image inflammation and infection in the myocardium, especially in diseases such as cardiac sarcoidosis and myocarditis.

Marcelo Di Carli, MD, editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Nuclear Cardiology, chief, Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Department of Radiology, and executive director, Cardiovascular Imaging Program, at Brigham and Women's Hospital, explains why there is rapid growth of PET imaging because of the extra value it brings in detecting microvascular disease.

How PET is transforming cardiac nuclear imaging

"PET has changed the practice of nuclear medicine in general and I think it is going to revitalize the practice of cardiology," Marcelo Di Carli, MD, told Cardiovascular Business. He noted that more practices seem interested in implementing PET than ever before.

ACC urges Congress to restore telemedicine flexibilities

The American College of Cardiology, like many other U.S. medical societies, is fighting to bring back telehealth policies that expired at the end of September.

President Trump's presidential proclamation Sept. 19 to implement a $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applications had immediate backlash from dozens of medical societies. Groups like the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) said this will cut off the flow of foreign physicians into the U.S. at a time when we cannot graduate enough American physicians to fill positions in a healthcare system that is facing a rapidly growing physician shortage.

Trump's $100K visa fee will be bad for heart patients

"There is already a deficit of doctors in the U.S., and this will make it worse," one cardiologist told Cardiovascular Business. Medical societies throughout the country seem to agree.