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New Guarding Hearts Alliance: Heart Patients' Advocate in Congress

Organizations representing the vast majority of cardiologists around the country have joined forces today to preserve and protect the highest quality cardiac care available in America. Guarding Hearts Alliance is advocating to protect patient access to cardiac care in whatever Medicare changes or health care reform legislation is enacted.

Cardiovascular disease is the Number One killer in America, claiming 2,400 lives each day. "That number will continue to climb if currently proposed Medicare regulations or certain provisions within health care reform legislation are implemented," said Warren Levy, M.D.,F.A.C.C., a Virginia-based cardiologist and a spokesperson for the alliance. "We are launching the Guarding Hearts Alliance to make sure that America's heart patients are heard in Washington. We support the intention of recently proposed Medicare regulations, but we cannot stand by as proposals are adopted that will hurt patients and their access to the highest quality cardiac care possible. Our focus is on our patients and protecting the progress we've made in fighting heart disease."

Guarding Hearts Alliance Overview

The Guarding Hearts Alliance is a partnership representing more than 23,000 cardiologists who are vitally concerned about the access to quality care for more than 80 million patients suffering from heart disease. The group's mission is to educate lawmakers and others about how proposed Medicare regulations and health care reforms could needlessly risk patient lives.

Patients concerned about their access to cardiac care being restricted in this debate should sign up to join the alliance at www.GuardingHeartsAlliance.org. Their voices will be heard clearly in October, when members of the alliance travel to Washington, D.C., to meet with lawmakers about issues that could have significantly adverse affects on the nation's fight against heart disease.

Patient-Focused Solutions

Successful treatment of patients with heart disease requires speed, access to the latest technology and access to specialized expertise. Certain changes now under consideration would cause lengthy delays in diagnosis and treatment, limit patient access to technology and, by forcing some physicians to curtail services, severely limit access to cardiac care. Guarding Hearts Alliance would like Medicare and Congress to take the time necessary to explore thoughtful and proper changes to avoid the unintended consequence of limiting access to quality cardiac care.

About Guarding Hearts Alliance

Guarding Hearts Alliance is a partnership representing more than 23,000 cardiologists across the country, all of whom are strongly in favor of Medicare regulations and health care reform initiatives that put patients first in preserving access to high-quality cardiac care. 

Source: Guarding Hearts Alliance

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