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.

Medicare money payment physician. The CardioVascular Coalition and Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions have both issued new statements highlighting their issues with the 2024 MPFS proposed rule. 

The fight continues: Cardiologists turn up heat on Congress to stop Medicare payment cuts

Dozens of medical societies have signed a new letter urging Congress to stop upcoming Medicare payment cuts. “The Medicare payment system remains on an unsustainable path threatening beneficiaries’ access to physicians," they wrote. 

September 23, 2022
Comparison of flurpiridaz F-18 PET, SPECT and angiography of the 60-year-old female patients in the Aurora trial. The SPECT scan appeared normal, but flurpiridaz was shown to be more sensitive and showed the ischemia from two blockages in the right coronary artery. The new radiotracer may help expand cardiac PET. #ASNC

Flurpiridaz data shows promise to expand and enhance cardiac PET

The biggest news from the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) 2022 meeting was positive late-breaking data on the phase 3 Aurora trial for the flurpiridaz (F-18) PET radiotracer agent.

September 12, 2022
A cardiac CT scan being performed at Duly Healthcare in suburban Chicago in the spring of 2022. This is one of the first outpatient cardiology clinics in the U.S. to implement a CCTA program for screening non-acute chest pain patients and for structural heart evaluations. This applies to CCTA, CTA, Cardiac CT, and CT angiography and coronary CT angiography.

Cardiac CT now in the spotlight thanks to chest pain guidelines

With the elevation of cardiac CT to a 1A indication in the 2021 Chest Pain Guidelines, there has been a large amount of interest in starting coronary artery CT angiography (CCTA) programs. 

August 3, 2022
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Big private payer reverses course on cardiac PET/CT coverage

One of the largest private health insurers in the U.S. has gone from considering hybrid PET/CT for cardiac indications “experimental/investigational” to displaying willingness to pay for the modality. 

July 1, 2022
The ASNC is one of several medical imaging societies asking Congress to repeal the appropriate use criteria (AUC) criteria mandate. They say it poses issues for clinicians and is becoming outdated by changes in CMS payment systems. The AUC requirements call for documentation using CVMS authorized software in order to show advanced imaging such as nuclear and CT is justified, or else Medicare payments might be withheld.

VIDEO: AMA will ask Congress to revise clinical decision support mandate for cardiac imaging

American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) delegates to the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates 2022 meeting Stephen Bloom, MD, and Nishant Shah, MD, explain a new AMA policy asking Congress to revise its clinician decision support mandate. 

June 22, 2022
Alex Ding, MD, radiologist and incoming AMA Board trustee, explains the new AMA policy that calls on Ciongress to change the requirements of the CMS requirement for appropriate use criteria clinical decision support software for all advanced imaging exams, including CT and MRI. #AMA #AMAmtg #AMA175 #AUC

VIDEO: AMA will ask Congress to change mandate on appropriate use criteria clinical decision support

Alexander Ding, MD, a radiologist and incoming American Medical Association (AMA) Board of Trustees member, explains the new AMA policy calling on Congress to change the language and implementation of the current Medicare mandate that all advanced medical imaging needs certification.

June 20, 2022
The American Society fo Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) did not support the 2021 Chest Pain Guidelines because of the high support for cardiac CT and FFR-CT.

VIDEO: Why the ASNC did not support the 2021 Chest Pain Evaluation Guidelines

Randall Thompson, MD, immediate past president of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, said the group had issues with the document's elevation of cardiac CT and FFR-CT. 

May 25, 2022
Advnaces in nuclear cardiac imaging include the use of PET, quantitative coronary flow reserve and the additional CT ro SPECT and PERT scans. #ASNC

VIDEO: 2 key advances in cardiac nuclear imaging technology

Randall Thompson, MD, immediate past president of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC), explains two key advances in cardiac nuclear imaging.
 

May 18, 2022