SCAI celebrated cardiologists William W. O'Neill, MD, and Cindy L. Grines, MD, for the important roles they played in the development of primary PCI. “It was challenging,” Grines explained. “We had the pharmaceutical industry that was anti-primary angioplasty and we had a lot of our own colleagues that were anti-primary angioplasty."

The American College of Cardiology has shared its perspective on new CMS payment policies, highlighting revenue concerns while providing key details for cardiologists and other cardiology professionals. 

FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, MD, said the clinical community needs to combat health misinformation at a grassroots level. He warned that patients are immersed in a "sea of misinformation without a compass."

CMS has more than doubled the CCTA payment rate from $175 to $357.13. The move, expected to have a significant impact on the utilization of cardiac CT, received immediate praise from imaging specialists.

AI-enabled coronary plaque assessments deliver significant value, according to late-breaking data presented at TCT. These AI platforms have gained considerable momentum in recent months, receiving expanded Medicare coverage in addition to a new Category I CPT code.

Harlan Krumholz, MD, editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, said tricuspid valve treatments are a popular topic among cardiologists right now. TAVR research, meanwhile, remains as important as ever.

The Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act aims to change the annual Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services physician fee schedule, which cut reimbursement by 2.8% for 2025. 

HeartFlow kicked off TCT 2024 by sharing new research on the long-term impact of its FFR_CT Analysis and Plaque Analysis software.