Good News! Bill Seals Fluoroscopy Exemption in Maryland

Posted on by Kurt Jensen
May 13 Bill Signing - Fluoroscopy Exemption

ACVP Advocacy Wins Fluoroscopy Exemption in Maryland

On Monday, May 13, Maryland House Bill 924 was signed into law, carving out an exemption in existing state law such that RCIS professionals can continue assisting in the performance of fluoroscopy procedures in Maryland cath labs.

This bill was the end result of a collaborative work group convened by the Maryland Board of Physicians, in which the Alliance of Cardiovascular Professionals took part, that was tasked with finding a solution to the manpower shortage currently being experienced by Maryland hospitals and cath labs.

The bill made significant inroads to ensuring multidisciplinary teams can deliver high quality care in Maryland cath labs, by vesting supervising physicians with the power to delegate duties to qualified RNs, RTs or RCIS professionals during the performance of procedures involving fluoroscopy. Previous interpretations of Maryland state law had prohibited RCIS professionals from assisting in procedures for which they'd been educated and trained.

ACVP Fights for Team-based Care Around the U.S.

The legislative sessions of many States, those without year-round sessions, have now closed or are approaching adjournment in June. You can find the status of all state legislatures, here. During this period, ACVP closely monitored or was directly involved in legislation in Minnesota and Maryland, and regulatory rule-making in New Hampshire, all resulting in advocacy wins on behalf of team-based care.

In Minnesota, bills HF 819 and SF 966 were amended to create a similar exemption for RCIS credentialed professionals assisting in x-ray machine operation. In New Hampshire, ACVP was involved in rule-making which ultimately protected the scope of practice of the RCIS.

You can find more information about our advocacy involvement and legislation we are tracking on our pending legislation page. We also invite you to use the form on that page to make us aware of any legislation or rule-making in your State which may affect any cardiovascular professionals.

ACVP thanks all of its members for continuing to support our efforts to ensure that multidisciplinary teams are allowed to deliver the highest quality cardiovascular care in all U.S. states. Our members' hard work and commitment to patients and fellow professionals is truly inspiring and greatly appreciated.

If you're not an ACVP member, consider joining the Alliance, today, to support our ongoing efforts on behalf of all cardiovascular professionals' right to work. The Alliance of Cardiovascular Professionals is the only professional organization catering specifically to and supporting non-physician professionals in cardiac care.

Join the Alliance »

What’s Next for Your Career?

Posted on by Zack McElgunn

Membership is an Opportunity to Advance, Earn More

What does membership in a professional association like the Alliance of Cardiovascular Professionals offer you? Short answer: a higher salary, more opportunities for advancement, and more chances for you to be recognized for your work and seen as a professional who advances the field of cardiovascular care.

Association membership and compensation are connected. A 2008 Smith Bucklin report analyzed salary data across the United States and found, when controlling for other demographic and job category variables, that association members earned on average $10,000 more than their non-member colleagues.

What's next for your career? How do you reach the next rung of the career ladder? How might you overcome the physical and emotional exhaustion of your hard work and find personal and professional fulfillment above and beyond the day-to-day?

Maybe it's unclear how you can demonstrate your commitment and worth, beyond simply showing up and doing a great job every day. Or maybe it seems like you've achieved the highest level of recognition or compensation for your profession, and there's no more space to grow. Maybe you want to make a greater, direct impact on the quality of care in your community by advancing into management, but are unclear where to start on that path.

No matter what you're trying to accomplish in your life, personally and professionally, every big achievement starts with a first step. If we want to be sure of achieving our goals, we should make sure our first steps provide us with the support we need to finish the journey.

As the only professional association catering specifically to non-physician professionals in cardiovascular care, ACVP is the best resource to help you achieve your goals. Membership in ACVP is a first step towards advancing your profession and your career.

Keep reading to learn more about how ACVP membership can support you, or take your first steps now by joining ACVP and accessing our many supportive benefits and services.

Join ACVP, now »

Continue reading What’s Next for Your Career?

ACVP testifies in New Hampshire

Posted on by Kurt Jensen

On January 24, ACVP participated in a public hearing before the New Hampshire Medical Imaging and Radiation Safety Board (NHMIRSB). The Board is considering pending regulatory changes that will have direct and material impact on Cath Lab professionals in the Granite State.

The NHMIRSB is in the process of finalizing rules affecting the ability of Cath Lab personnel – specifically affecting RCIS and RCES credentialed staff, and Nurses - to position patients and conduct fluoroscopy in the Cath Lab at the direction of a physician.

Continue reading ACVP testifies in New Hampshire

Stents not effective? Study sparks debate pt. 1

Posted on by Kurt Jensen

U.K. PCI study sparks U.S. debate

On Wednesday, November 1, results from the Objective Randomized Blinded Investigation with Optimal Medical Therapy of Angioplasty in Stable Angina (ORBITA) study were published in The Lancet.

The next day, this article was published in the New York Times:

"A procedure used to relieve chest pain in hundreds of thousands of heart patients each year is useless for many of them," it began... "The new study, published in the Lancet, stunned leading cardiologists by countering decades of clinical experience. The findings raise questions about whether stents should be used so often—or at all—to treat chest pain."

Without further knowledge, the debate may start right here—the New York Times article had little in the way of medical detail to satisfy invasive cardiovascular professionals and may have further generalized results in a misleading manner.

But let's hold off on reacting, look at the debate surrounding this particular study and also place the findings in a wider context (part two). Note: this isn't the first time it has been suggested that stents are overused.

Continue reading Stents not effective? Study sparks debate pt. 1