The Evolving Dynamics of Reform
by Andrea Epstein
Several months back, when we planned to focus our summer issue on the new health care reform legislation’s impact on vein practices, we suspected that our goals might be a little ambitious. What we uncovered from subsequent months of research and dialogue with industry and legal experts is that we were not only more than a “little” ambitious, but also probably a bit premature -- based on the timing of the law’s implementation. A big positive for the phlebologist happened late in negotiations of the final bill, where a proposed tax on cosmetic surgery was replaced with a 10% excise tax on indoor tanning salons. With vague definitions of what was to be considered a “cosmetic” procedure, that provision was bound to impact coverage of varicose vein treatment. The remaining provisions most relevant to phlebologists have been delayed in their start date; this includes a new excise tax on medical devices with an effective date pushed to 2013. In this issue’s Special Section on The 3 “Rs” Impacting your Practice: Reform, Regulation and Reimbursement, we offer current information on this provision and where industry is moving as this tax looms on the not-too-distant horizon.
Most legal, insurance and health industry experts agree that the changes in health care delivery in our country
willbe far-reaching, though the full weight of health care reform is yet to be clearly defined. We know that the law
also calls for a number of public health initiatives, including multi-faceted demonstration projects linking payers
and providers, and a national body to measure clinical effectiveness and outcomes of medical therapies and
treatments. “Outcomes” has again become a big buzz word and that, we believe,will drive a continued push for
accurate Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) in all patient care settings. For this reason,we include a highly
relevant article on EMR options in this Special Section, along with additional articles which touch on regulations
pertaining to the use of patient testimonials and “before and after” images, and another piece on new payer-driven policies for determining when ultrasound guided sclerotherapy is a covered procedure.
Education continues to be an important component of VEIN, and this issue is no exception. To aid in your conference and travel planning, we present previews of three events occurring in October and November of this year: VIVA, October 18-22 in Las Vegas; the 2?th Annual Congress of the American College of Phlebology, November ?-7 in Orlando; and the 37th Annual VEITHSymposium, November 17-21 in New York City. We also include information on the hands-on “VEIN Forum” from the American Venous Forum as well as highlights from the 8th International Vein Congress, which many of you attended in May.
Our “Featured Physician” profile this issue of Dr. Helane Fronek takes a more personal angle on the arena of
education. Dr. Fronek shares with VEIN her passion for teaching and interest in enhancing
physician-patientcommunication; these have been a driving force in her most current career pursuits as an educator in both academic and clinical settings.
Additional features included in this information-packed issue address the recent FDA approval of Asclera® branded polidocanol, practice management strategies using third party credit financing for your patients, and a new awareness campaign focused on recognizing the signs and symptoms of venous thromboembolism, to be developed by the Vascular Disease Foundation with grant funding from the CDC.
One last friendly reminder: we want your input! It is through your suggestions that we assure that VEIN remains
your leading source of clinical, educational, technological, and practice management information, supporting your
practice growth and success. Please send your ideas and comments to me at editor@veindirectory.org. We appreciate your continued support of VEIN Magazine.
All the best,
Andrea Epstein
Editor-in-Chief
editor@veindirectory.org