ASE welcomes the Saudi Arabian Society of Echocardiography (SASE) as ASE’s 18th International Alliance Partner. With almost 200 members, SASE is a newly formed echo society under the parent organization of the Saudi Heart Association, according to the SASE President Dr. Abdulhalim Kinsara. The ASE International Alliance Partners program was developed to create a pathway for collaborations and shared resources among participating membership-based echocardiography/cardiology societies.
January 13, 2017 By
ASE Headquarters Closed-Monday, January 16
ASE Headquarters will be closed Monday, January 16 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Normal office hours will resume Tuesday, January 17.
January 12, 2017 By
FDA removes the contraindication for use of Bracco Diagnostics Inc.’s LUMASON® in patients with cardiac shunts
Read the press release here.
January 12, 2017 By
Don’t Miss Out on Unique Learning Opportunities at Echo Southwest
Registration rates for ASE’s 30th Annual State-of-the-Art Echocardiography: Echo Southwest, February 18-21, 2017, increase by $100 next Wednesday, so register today and save. This course is held at the stunning Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort in Tucson, Arizona. A preconference Learning Lab, held in conjunction with the main course, allows nearly private instruction from the top practitioners in the field.
The Learning Lab features hands-on learning on computers covering topics that include: 3D Imaging, Myocardial Strain Imaging, Knobology, Diastology, Valve Stenosis, Valve Regurgitation, Cardiomyopathy, and more. The Learning Lab is being offered for a full day on Friday, February 17 and a half day on Saturday, February 18, 2017. This is an optional session that requires a separate registration fee, and there are a limited number of seats, so register today to reserve your space.
The main course features content that focuses on new technologies and techniques. A transcatheter aortic valve replacement workshop on Sunday, February 19 will be an in-depth exploration of the use of echocardiographic imaging in valve disease. Register today. Download the Advance Program here.
The Who’s Who in Echocardiography will be in Tucson during this course as the ASE Board of Directors will be holding their February meeting at this same property. Networking opportunities abound!
January 12, 2017 By
Updated ASE’s 2017 Coding Newsletter Now Available
CMS issued some corrections to the HOPPS final rule. It included minor changes to some of the APCs that will impact some rates. ASE has updated the Annual Coding Newsletter to reflect these changes.
Also available are ASE’s coding webinar and a document to assist you in billing echo-specific information on moderate (conscious) sedation in conjunction with TEE. You must now bill it separately. Payment for moderate sedation is no longer included in the allowances for any TEE codes. If moderate sedation codes are not separately reported, payment for the service will be lost.
Please visit ASE’s Coding and Reimbursement and MACRA web pages to help you understand the Medicare Access & CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) and how to comply with the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS).
January 12, 2017 By
18th Annual ASCeXAM® Review Course Advance Program Available
The Review Course has been specifically designed by ASE as a preparatory course for the National Board of Echocardiography, Inc.™ ASCeXAM® and ReASCE® examinations. The expert faculty, led by Roberto Lang, MD, FASE, will emphasize illustrative cases and will use case studies, lectures, and interactive sessions to cover all aspects of cardiovascular ultrasound that are essential to these exams. New this year, the faculty will walk you through ASCeXam questions after each session in addition to an audience response system that will facilitate faculty interaction and self-guided learning. Please plan to join us at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel April 29 – May 2, 2017 for this intensive review course. Download the Advance Program, register, and learn more at ASEcho.org/ReviewCourse.
December 30, 2016 By
It Is Not Too Late to Support ASEF’s Work to Grow #EchoWorldwide
This year the ASE Foundation:
- Supported 55 young echo practitioners with educational scholarships and travel grants
- Translated 25 ASE guidelines and posters into five different languages
- Provided over 1,250 underserved individuals overseas with direct clinical care
- Hosted three clinician training events that will impact over five million patients in the coming year
- Launched a global research project, WASE, to determine normal chamber quantification values across the world
Imagine what we can do next year. The Foundation needs your help to meet its $250,000 goal for the 2016 Annual Appeal. If you have been waiting to donate, there is still time to make your U.S. tax deductible donation by December 31.
Every gift is meaningful. Every contribution makes a difference. Pick your passion, and know that 100% of every dollar given supports ASEF’s work to grow #echoworldwide. Together we can continue to make a world of difference in 2017. Donate now.
November 30, 2016 By
ASE Members Break Donation Records Again on Giving Tuesday
Thank you to the 88 donors who supported the ASE Foundation on Giving Tuesday by donating a total of $20,320 in 24 hours yesterday. With this milestone in giving, we doubled our original goal of raising $10,000 in just one day! You can feel confident that your gifts will have a direct impact on the future of cardiovascular ultrasound because 100% of all donations will be used to support the Foundation’s 2017 initiatives. ASEF sends a special thank you to the ASE leaders, Drs. Banchs, Kaul, Klein, Rigolin, Wiegers, and Weissman who made early pledges to match the first $6,500 raised yesterday. Thank you as well to the Chinese American Heart Association (CnAHA) for their generous contribution. Thank you all for making this our best Giving Tuesday ever!
Did you miss Giving Tuesday yesterday? There’s still time to support the Foundation’s 2016 Annual Appeal before December 31 and help us reach our yearly goal of $250,000. We are at 75% of our goal now! Visit ASEFoundation.org/Donate or contact the Foundation at foundation@asecho.org.
November 30, 2016 By
ASE’s New Journal CASE is Now Accepting Submissions
CASE, ASE’s new, online, open-access, cardiovascular imaging case reports journal is now accepting submissions, CVCaseJournal.com. Co-Editors-in-Chief, L. Leonardo Rodriguez, MD, FACC, FASE and Karen G. Zimmerman, BS, ACS, RDCS, RVT, FASE, along with the CASE editorial board of experts in a wide range of cardiovascular care areas, are hard at work reviewing the case reports that are coming in from around the world. The first issue will be published in early 2017. CASE will be designed to meet the needs of the medical community by providing timely, practical information on the challenges which face clinicians daily in delivering optimum patient care through efficient and effective diagnostic testing. Email CASE managing editor, Deborah R. Meyer, with questions or suggestions at dmeyer@asecho.org. ASE members receive deeply discounted pricing on the open access fees.
November 21, 2016 By
Do You Need Help Understanding MACRA?
Geoffrey A. Rose, MD, FASE, presented a webinar to help the cardiovascular ultrasound community understand how to comply with the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), one of the two payment tracks being created under the Medicare Access & CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) to reform Medicare payment. It is expected that over 90 percent of all physicians will need to comply with MIPS to avoid facing penalties. The webinar delves into the details of this complex program and outlines practical steps for you to achieve ‘MACRA-readiness.’