Good news!  CMS has corrected the policy for SET to include outpatient hospital settings as allowable.  Please review the following attachment.  You can also review updates on the AACVPR website.

MACs have until July 2^nd to get ready to accept these claims.  We were told by Dr. Feliciano back in March that would could submit claims and that there would be no new LCD created unless it was warranted.   

Supervised Exercise Therapy MLN matters 5 17 18

Welcome to our new board members!  We appreciate their willingness to serve!

Kelly Forrest, Coastal Vice President

I am a Registered Nurse of 20+ years.  I have worked in Cardiac Rehab for the pas seven years at CarolinaEast Medical Center in New Bern.  I have two children, my daughter Chandler is 23 and my son Tyler is 21.  Fortunately for me, we all live in New Bern!  As a nurse I have had the opportunity to serve in many different capacities.  I enjoy Cardiopulmonary Rehab because we get to spend time getting to know our patients.  It is a wonderful opportunity to be their advocate, coach, cheerleader and educator.

Kelly’s contact information:
252-633-8609
KForrest@carolinaeasthealth.com

Christine Alford, Chair of the Membership Committee

I am the lead CEP for the cardiac rehab program at High Point Regional and I have been here since 2009.  I’m very passionate about cardiopulmonary rehab and I am thrilled to be a part of the NCCRA organization and all of the great things that we are making happen in the field.  I have been on the membership committee for the past 2 years and I think we have accomplished a lot and I’m excited to see what more we can do this year.  I am honored to be able to serve as the chair of this committee and am looking forward to working closely with all of you!

With that being said, please feel free to reach out to me with any ideas or concerns that we can address or any expectations that you may have for me or the rest of the membership committee.  Together, we can make this the best year yet!

Christine’s contact information:
336-878-6767
christine.alford@unchealth.unc.edu

Exercise Discipline Meeting   2018 NCCRA Exercise Discipline Meeting Minutes
If you have any questions please contact our Exercise Discipline chair:

Angela Lanier, MS ACSM-CEP
Clinical Exercise Physiologist, Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation
Iredell Health System
557 Brookdale Drive
Statesville, N.C.  28677
704-878-4558 ext 3442
704-878-4951 (Fax)
angela.lanier@iredellhealth.org

Nutrition Discipline Meeting NCCRA Symposium Nutrition Discipline Minutes.docx 2018
If you have any question please contact our Nutrition Discipline chair:

Judith M. Hinderliter, MPH, RD, LDN, CPT
UNC Wellness Centers at Meadowmont
Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist Cardiac Rehabilitation
100 Sprunt Street
Chapel Hill, NC 27517
Co-director Wellness and Cardiovascular Nutrition subunit, SCAN dietetic practice group
Nutrition Discipline Chair, NC Cardiopulmonary Rehab. Assoc.
Judith.Hinderliter@unchealth.unc.edu
T 919.614.5704     F 984.974.2591

If you aren’t able to join us in Chapel Hill on March 22-23, 2018 – perhaps you can attend the symposiums around us.

South Carolina 2018 Cardio Brochure SCACVPR

Virginia  2018 VACVPR Conference Brochure

Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized the cancellation of the mandatory hip fracture and cardiac bundled payment models that were to be operated by the CMS Innovation Center and implemented changes to the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) Model. These changes will offer greater flexibility and choice for hospitals in providing care to Medicare patients.

“While CMS continues to believe that bundled payment models offer opportunities to improve quality and care coordination while lowering spending, we believe that focusing on developing different bundled payment models and engaging more providers is the best way to drive health system change while minimizing burden and maintaining access to care. We anticipate announcing new voluntary payment bundles soon,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma.

In the final rule, CMS is reducing the number of mandatory geographic areas participating in CJR from 67 areas to 34 areas. As part of the agency’s ongoing commitment to addressing the unique needs of rural providers, CMS is also making participation voluntary for all low volume and rural hospitals participating in the model in all 67 geographic areas. This regulation also includes an Interim Final Rule with Comment Period, in which CMS is establishing and seeking comment on a final policy to provide flexibility in determining episode costs for participant hospitals located in areas impacted by extreme and uncontrollable circumstances, such as the major hurricanes of 2017.

CMS is also finalizing the cancelation of the hip fracture and cardiac bundled payment and incentive payment models – the Episode Payment Models and the Cardiac Rehabilitation Incentive Payment Model – that were scheduled to begin on January 1, 2018. Not pursuing these models gives CMS greater flexibility to design and test innovations that will improve quality and care coordination across the in-patient and post-acute care spectrum.

Moving forward, CMS expects to increase opportunities for providers to participate in voluntary initiatives rather than large mandatory bundled payment models. The changes in the final rule will help position the agency to engage in future voluntary efforts.

For a technical fact sheet on the changes in this final rule and interim final rule with comment period, please visit: https://www.cms.gov/Newsroom/MediaReleaseDatabase/Fact-sheets/2017-Fact-Sheet-items/2017-11-30.html.

Connie Paladenech

Jeff Soukup

Michelle Ray

Mike Dunlap

Taylor Stroud