Cybersecurity in Healthcare

Change Healthcare facilitates the seamless flow of health-related transactions. They operate a digital clearinghouse that connects doctors, hospitals, and other health providers with insurance companies that pay for medical care and authorize medical services. The company processes more than 15 billion health-related transactions a year. However, in late February 2024, Change Healthcare fell victim to a cyberattack, disrupting their operations significantly. Hospitals and doctors have been unable to bill for some services, and patients have had trouble obtaining prescriptions. The AMA has asked the Biden administration for emergency financial relief to doctors affected by the cyber-attack. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has been actively coordinating efforts to minimize the disruption.

HHS hosted a briefing Tuesday, March 19 on the Change Healthcare cybersecurity incident. You can find a recording of the webinar here.

Health care organizations with general questions for HHS regarding the Change Healthcare cyber incident or those who are seeking access to HHS resources and support to help them enhance their cybersecurity posture should contact [email protected] or go to the department’s new websitehttps://hphcyber.hhs.gov/ which serves as a centralized platform connecting healthcare organizations to a wealth of cybersecurity resources provided by HHS and other federal agencies. This new website is designed to be a consistently evolving, comprehensive, and accessible hub improving access to information, programs, and resources to enhance cybersecurity practices across the industry.

Don’t Miss the SVS-AVF Session at VAM 2024!

The SVS Postgraduate Education Committee and the SVS Leadership are very excited to promote a joint educational session at this year’s Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM), “SVS-AVF: Latest Innovations in the Treatment of Venous Disease.”  The session will be held on Wednesday, June 19, from 3:15-4:45pm (central) at McCormick Place West in Chicago.

Dr William Robison, Chair of the VAM Postgraduate Education Committee, commented, “SVS recognizes the American Venous Forum as the leading multidisciplinary society focused upon and dedicated to improving the care of patients with venous and lymphatic disease. Their ideas about the cutting edge of venous disease and the wealth of expertise they bring through moderators and speakers is a tremendous addition to the Vascular Annual Meeting because it elevates the level of education in venous disease, which is such an integral and significant portion of practice for the great majority of our members. This 90-minute session will address the most current innovations and management options across superficial venous disease, iliac vein disease, and venous ulceration. It promises to be high-yield information delivered by national and international venous disease experts and I believe will be a ’can’t miss‘ for any vascular specialist who cares for patients with venous disease.  We hope you will join us at the VAM.”  Registration is now open and can be found at https://vascular.org/vam-2024/registration-info

Session Details:

Session Title: SVS-AVF: Latest Innovations in the Treatment of Venous Disease
Date/Time: Wednesday, June 19; 3:15-4:45PM
Moderators: Ruth Bush, MD; Faisal Aziz, MD; and Madhavi Meka, MD, MBBS
Location: West Building, Level 1, W183a
Purpose/Justification: As venous disease affects approximately 15% of the US population, it is critical that vascular specialists stay up to date on current management options and their outcomes to be able to provide high-quality patient care. As leaders in this discipline, this co-sponsored session (American Venous Forum and Society for Vascular Surgery) will give an overview of the latest advances in venous care.

Objectives

1. Recognize various patterns of superficial venous reflux and management options.
2. Understand effective treatment of patients with iliac venous disorders.
3. Increase knowledge of venous ulcer care and influence of health inequities.

Program: 90-minute session

1. Superficial Venous Disease
   1. Glenn Jacobowitz, MD: Thermal Ablation Options
   2. Karem Harth, MD:  Non-thermal Ablation Options
   3. Sherry Scovell, MD: Sclerotherapy Techniques
2. Iliac Venous Stenosis
   1. Arjun Jayaraj, MBBS: IVUS and Its Importance for Deep Venous Interventions
   2. Misaki Kiguchi, MD: Can you Stent Below the Inguinal Ligament?
3. Venous Leg Ulcerations
   1. William Marston, MD:  Deep or Superficial Interventions First?
   2. Anil Hingorani, MD: Role of Perforator Veins and Interventions
   3. Leigh Ann O’Banion, MD: Health Disparities in Patients with Advanced Venous Disease
4. Panel Discussion

Registration:  https://vascular.org/vam-2024

Online planner: https://2024svsvam.eventscribe.net/

Specific SVS-AVF session information:  https://2024svsvam.eventscribe.net/agenda.asp?BCFO=M&pfp=BrowsebyDay&fa=AVF

Congress Returns Some of the Recent Medicare Cuts

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has updated its website to reflect the new Medicare Physician Payment Schedule conversion factor. This is a result of the Consolidated Appropriation Act, 2024, which, starting March 9, included an additional 1.68% update to the 2024 conversion factor that offset a portion of the 3.37% cut that went into effect on January 1, 2024. The 2024 conversion factor for dates of service January 1 through March 8, 2024, was $32.74. CMS has now established the new conversion factor of $33.2875 for dates of service March 9 through December 31. CMS is also releasing updated payment files, including the MPFS and associated abstract files, the Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) FS, and Anesthesia file.

Welcome New AVF Members!

The American Venous Forum supports The Charles Rochester Blood Clot Prevention and Treatment Act (H.R. 5699)