• New legislation was proposed in July 2019 to expand access to Cardiovascular Rehabilitation services. As a result of joint efforts with the ACC, the American Heart Association, and others, a bill was introduced in Congress by Representatives John Lewis and Adrian Smith. This legislation expands the previous legislation Improving Access to Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Act of 2018 which enabled advanced practice providers to supervise cardiac rehabilitation services under Medicare beginning in 2024. The expanded legislation, Increasing Access to Quality Cardiac Rehabilitation Care Act of 2019  will allow NP’s and PA’s to order and refer for these services and moves up the start date for direct supervision of cardiac rehabilitation beginning in 2019 (five years earlier than the current law). Under the current Federal law, only physicians are authorized to certify the need for or order cardiac or pulmonary rehabilitation of Medicare patients. Qualified Advanced Practice Practitioners are often authorized to perform such service under state law, but not federal law. Expanding access directly benefits patients as research has shown, patients who take part in cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation services are at lower risk of both heart disease-related mortality and readmissions following cardiac events.

• The RCIS (Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist) legislation will soon come to fruition. As you know this law will allow certified registered cath lab technicians to work in Maryland cath labs under the supervision of the cardiologist. Our MDACC governor, Joe Marine, and one of our CVTeam members, Amy Dukovic, along with others are actively working on perfecting the language of state law due to be enacted next month.

LEADERSHIP COUNCIL

Angela Street, CRNP, MSN - State Liaison 

Rama Anthony, ACNP - Baltimore 

Amy Dukovic, CRNP - Southern Maryland 

Angela Greenfield - RN representative 
Arif Khazi, MD, CCRP 
John Lindsley - PharmD 
Henry Wynn - PA representative 

We are in search of a Regional Representative for Western Maryland (including Columbia). Please contact me if you'd like more information. 

CVTeam Competency Consensus Statement

Click here to read the statement. 

2020 CVT GOALS

• Utilize national ACC promotions to target different professional categories.
• Leadership council to target/recruit from their own institutions and professional circles
• Assess feedback on membership value by profession via membership surveys

• Hold two networking events in 2020 
• Hold one educational event in 2020
• Recruit the following representatives for our Leadership Council: Western Maryland, RCIS, RN, NP 
• Market other opportunities for engagement in the ACC such as the Scientific Sessions, Capital MACCS, and Legislative Conference.

• At the state level, support the creation of legislation protecting the scope of practice of our RCIS members.
• At the state level, support legislation to improve cardiac arrest survival by ensuring access to AEDs in restaurants
• At the federal level, support patient access to Cardiac Rehabilitation through the creation of legislation allowing PAs and NPs to order Cardiac Rehabilitation without a physician co-signature
• At the federal level, support patient access to Cardiac Rehab through legislation to allow PAs, NPs and CNSs to supervise cardiac rehab programs