How the ASNC ImageGuide Registry will guide healthcare policy.

The American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) is the leader in education, advocacy, and quality for the field of nuclear cardiology. ASNC is the voice of more than 4,600 physicians, technologists, and scientists worldwide who are dedicated to the science and practice of nuclear cardiology. Since 1993, ASNC has been establishing the standard for excellence in cardiovascular imaging through the development of clinical guidelines, professional education, and research development. While our organization is centered on the practice of diagnostic imaging, it is important to note that a significant percentage of our membership is invested in the practice of general cardiology as well. ASNC leadership believes strongly that the next opportunity for ASNC to innovate and set the standard of excellence is with the development and implementation of a clinical registry, ImageGuide, to support the many activities and constituencies that comprise our diverse membership. ASNC has been actively engaged in advocating for its members to promote quality, value, and equitable payment and delivery models, and is concerned about the current instability posed by the sustainable growth rate and the way in which it complicates physicians’ ability to make desired improvements to their practices, such as the purchase of capital equipment. Data from the American Medical Association (Figure 1) illustrate a divergent trend in practice costs and Medicare payment—declining payment makes it difficult to support a practice and staff. ASNC is actively engaged in the promotion of a workable alternative reimbursement model rather than merely searching for a quick or easy solution. Current attempts by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to reward quality, namely the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), do not provide actionable information to many healthcare professionals, including nuclear cardiology providers. Moreover, PQRS does not contain measures pertinent to nuclear cardiology and other sub-specialties. The integration of clinical data registries into new payment models may lead to appropriate and clinically relevant quality improvement metrics, as well as strategies for their use in future quality improvement endeavors. ASNC consistently stresses physicians’ and technologists’ responsiveness to timely, targeted feedback. Therefore, the development of the ASNC ImageGuide Registry comes at a fortuitous moment.